LIBRARY^F^ONGRESa 

ziasa- 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 



AMERICAN EDITION 

SPECIALLY RBVISBD BY THE AUTHOR FOR MESSRS. STOKES & BROTHER 



THE THEORY OF 

THE MODERN SCIENTIFIC GAME 



OF 



WHIST 



By dr. WILIvIAM: IPOI^EJ 

F. R. S. 
TOGETHER WITH 

THE LAWS OF WHIST 

AS REVISED BY THE 

PORTLAND AND ARLINGTON CLUBS 







NEW YORK 

FREDERICK A. STOKES & BROTHER. 

MDCCCLXXXIX 



^Viz 



"7*7 



Copyright, 1889, 
By FREDERICK A. STOKES & BROTHER. 



CONTENTS. 

PAGB 

PREFACES 5-7 

CHAPTER I. 
Introduction Ii 

CHAPTER II. 

Explanation of Technical Terms used in the 

Modern Scientific Game . . . . 21 

CHAPTER III. 

Theory of the Game 3^ 

CHAPTER IV. 

Development of the Theory. — Its Influence on 
the Management of Trumps. — Management 
of Plain Suits, — Long-Suit Lead. — Return 
of the Lead. — Further Remarks on the 
Lead. — Other Applications of Theory. — 
Communication between the Partners. — On 
the Degree of Strictness with which System^ 
atic Play should be adhered to . , . 40 

CHAPTER V. 

Rules and Directions for Play. — The Lead. — 
Second Hand. — Third Hand. — Fourth 
Hand. — Managemetit of Trumps. — Gen- 
eral Directions 65 

3 



4 CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER VI. 

PAGB 

Conclusion 78 

APPENDIX A. 
Example of a Remarkable Hand ... 86 

APPENDIX B. 

On Modifications of the Rules, depending on the 

Style of Play of your Partner ... 88 

APPENDIX C. 
America7t Leads 106 

APPENDIX D. 

Rhyming Rules, Mnemonic Maxims, and Pocket 

Precepts 108 

THE LAWS OF WHIST . . . . no 

ETIQUETTE OF WHIST . . . . 126 



PREFACE TO THE SPECIAL AMERICAN 
EDITION. 

The circulation of this little book in the United 
States is so large that it has pained me to see how- 
imperfect many of the copies are that are sold there. 

On this account I have undertaken to revise an 

edition specially for Messrs. Frederick A. Stokes & 

Brother, of New York, with the view of presenting 

the work to the American public in a more correct 

form. 

WILLIAM POLE. 

Athen^um Club, London, S. W. 
May, 1888. 



PREFACE TO THE FIFTH EDITION. 

The increasing demand for this little work warrants 
the belief that the attempt made therein to elevate the 
character of Whist, and to facilitate its practice in 
the best form, has not been without success. 

It is matter of notoriety, that a sound knowledge of 
the principles of the modern scientific game is much 
more frequently met with, both among club players 
and in private society, than it was ten or twelve years 
ago. This result is undoubtedly owing to the rise of 
a new class of Whist literature, explaining the game in 
a more logical and systematic way; and the recent 
extended discussion of the subject in some of our best 
critical periodicals ' is sufficient to show that it has 
acquired an interest, in a literary and philosophical 
point of view, which it never had before. 

It is sometimes said that the systematic study of 
the game, so strongly insisted on in this work, tends 
to make it a matter of routine, and to discourage the 

* See Eraser's Magazine for April, 1869, and the Quarterly Review for 
January, 1871. 



MODERN WHIST, 7 

freedom of individual skill. This is a great mistake. 
It is indeed essential that the foundation of all good 
play should be systematic knowledge; but it is not 
^ pretended that the rules are to be considered as 
inflexible. In the latter portion of Chapter IV. many 
cases are mentioned in which strict play should be 
departed from ; and in the present edition it has been 
thought desirable to enlarge at some length (in Ap- 
pendix B) on one of the most important of these 
cases — namely, playing with a bad partner. 

This condition, although of such frequent occur- 
rence, has been but httle noticed hitherto in Whist 
books ; and it is hoped that the remarks now offered 
will show what an important influence it may exercise 
on the practice of the game. 

W. R 

Athen/eum Club, Feb. 1873, 



PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. 

This essay was originally published in December, 
1864, as a second part to the sixteenth edition of the 
well-known work " Short Whist, by Major A." Since 
its appearance it has been honored with the commen- 
dation of some of the most eminent authorities on 
Whist, and it is now reprinted in a separate form. 

It is believed that the manner herein adopted of 
treating the theory of the game is, in a great measure, 
new. Some of the later works published on Whist 
have been more explanatory than the early ones, but 
still they have consisted at best of merely practical 
rules, without reference to their theoretical basis ; and 
the author is not aware that the attempt to trace the 
whole practice of the modem scientific game back to 
one grand fundamental principle, namely, that of the 
combination of the hands of the two players, has ever 
before been made. It has often indeed been said that 
each player must endeavor to play his partner's cards 
as well as his own : but this has usually been only given 
as an incidental maxim of practice ; it has not been 



MODERN WHIST, % 

treated as the main principle of action from which the 
whole play springs. 

The nearest approach to this attempt the Editor has 
met with is in a little French book, entitled " G^nie 
du Whist, m^connu jusqu'a present. Par le General 
B. de Vautr(^. Paris : 4^ edition, 1847.'* This author 
makes the true genius of Whist consist in what he 
propounds as the novel principle of the combination 
of the two hands; or, as he expresses it, "Tauteur 
enseigne la maniere de jouer avec vingt-six cartes, 
selon son expression, et non pas avec treize, comme 
tout le monde." But as he was ignorant of the long 
suit system of play, as a necessary means of carrying 
the combination principle into practice, he was obliged 
to form an imperfect system of his own, and therefore 
his explanations do not correspond with our modern 
game. 

The author^s experience leads him to believe that 
an exposition of the fundamental theory of Whist will 
not only be satisfactory to accomplished players, by 
making clearer to them the principles they already act 
upon, but will be found of still greater advantage for 
teaching the game in the ordinary domestic circle. 

The young people of the family, especially, are often 
repelled from Whist by thinking it dull and difficult. 
Nothing can be more erroneous than such an idea : 
if learnt on proper principles, it soon becomes an 
attractive amusement, as well as an admirable mental 



10 MODERN WHIST. 

exercise ; and to attain moderate proficiency in it is 
much easier than is usually supposed. 

But there are many players of more experience, 
who take real pleasure in a domestic rubber, but who 
are still much in the dark as to the true merits of the 
game ; and it is desirable to impress on this large class 
how greatly the interest of their recreation would be 
increased if they would, by a little study of the prin- 
ciples of Whist, learn to play it in a more rational and 
systematic manner. 

The practical rules and directions here deduced 
strictly from the theory are identical with those sanc- 
tioned by the best modern authorities, and adopted 
by the best modem players. 

Athekeum Club, Feb. 1870. 



CHAPTER I. 

Introduction, 

Whist is, without question, the best of all our do- 
mestic games. The only other one which could lay 
claim to such a distinction is Chess ; but this has the 
disadvantage of containing no element of chance in 
its composition — which renders it too severe a mental 
labor, and disqualifies it from being considered a game, 
in the proper sense of the word. Whist, on the con- 
trary, while it is equal to chess in its demands on the 
intellect and skill of the player, involves so much 
chance as to give relief to the mental energies, and 
thus to promote, as every good game should, the 
amusement and relaxation of those engaged. 

The high intellectual character of Whist becomes 
evident, if we consider the powers of the mind which 
its intelligent study and practice may call into action. 
To investigate thoroughly its fundamental principles, 
we must bring to bear upon it, as we shall by and by 
have occasion to explain, reasoning of a high order. 
But, independently of the theory, the practice also 



12 MODERN WHIST. 

involves considerable mental attainments. The ob- 
servation must be keen, the memory active ; a consid- 
erable power of drawing inferences, and of tracing 
appearances to their causes, must be brought into use ; 
and we must exercise boldness, caution, prudence, 
foresight, care against deception, promptness of de- 
cision, soundness of judgment, fertility of resource, 
ingenuity of contrivance, and such a general course 
of thought and action as must, if it is to be successful, 
be dictated by competent and well-trained mental 
powers. 

Then Whist has peculiar moral and social relations. 
It has been called, by those who do not understand it, 
an unsocial game ; but nothing can be more untrue. 
It is a perfect microcosm — a complete miniature so- 
ciety in itself. Each player has one friend, to whom 
he is bound by the strongest ties of mutual interest 
and sympathy ; but he has twice the number of ene- 
mies, against whose machinations he is obliged to keep 
perpetual guard. He must give strict adherence to 
the established laws and the conventional courtesies 
of his social circle ; he is called on for candid and 
ingenuous behavior ; he must exercise moderation in 
prosperity, patience in adversity, hope in doubtful for- 
tune, humility when in error, forbearance to the faults 
of his friends, self-sacrifice for his allies, equanimity 
under the success of his adversaries, and general good- 
temper throughout all his transactions. His best 



INTRODUCTIOJV. X3 

efforts will sometimes fail, and fortune will favor his 
inferiors ; but sound principles will triumph in the end. 
Is there nothing in all this analogous to the social 
conditions of ordinary life ? 

As an amusement, Whist stands equally high. Con- 
sider its immense variety. A hand will last only a few 
minutes ; we may have a hundred of them in an even- 
ing ; and yet, throughout a player's whole life, no two 
similar ones will ever occur ! Each one will present 
some novel feature, offering special interest of the most 
diversified kind. Sometimes the interest lies in your 
own cards, sometimes in your partner's, sometimes in 
those of your adversaries. Sometimes you have almost 
nothing to do, sometimes every thing turns on your 
play. The mixture of the unknown with the known 
gives unbounded scope for amusing speculation ; the 
admirable combination of voHtion and chance affords 
a still wider field for observant interest : indeed, some 
philosophical players make the rubber a fertile field 
for the study of human character, for the disclosure 
of which it is proverbially favorable. 

The only objection brought against Whist is, that, 
being played for money, it may promote gambling. 
Apart from the consideration that it is very unfitted 
for gambling purposes, the objection is untrue in fact. 
Good players generally like to play for stakes high 
enough to define well the interest taken in the game ; 
but the idea of gain, which is the essential feature of 



14 MODERN WHIST. 

gambling, enters but little into the mind of a true 
lover of Whist. He will of course try to win, and 
will be pleased if he does so, but the pleasure 
is not measured by the amount of money he re- 
ceives. 

Whist has always been a favorite pursuit of great 
men. The most philosophical novelist of modern 
times uses it to illustrate his profound speculations; 
and we have heard an eminent scholar and writer 
declare he considers it a revelation to mankind ! But 
we have the vox populi also in its favor ; for does not 
the proverb represent the clever successful man as 
^^ playing his cards welV ? 

Considering the great popularity of Whist in this 
country, and the extent to which it is played in all 
classes of society, it is really astonishing to find how 
few people take the pains to play it well. It has been 
remarked, by writers on the subject, that good players 
are very seldom to be met with, fine ones scarcely ever. 
And yet, how amply it repays a little trouble devoted 
to its acquisition ! 

How, then, is this strange deficiency to be accounted 
for? Simply because people do not generally admit 
that Whist, like other branches of knowledge, requires 
study. It is commonly supposed, that, after acquiring 
the simple construction of the game, practice alone 
will suffice to make a good player. This is a great 
mistake, as experience abundantly shows. We con- 



INTRODUCTION, 15 

tinually meet with persons who have played Whist all 
their lives, and yet who, though they may bring to bear 
on their play great observation, memory, and tact, 
play on so entirely different a system to that sanctioned 
and practised by real experts in the game, as scarcely 
to be fit to sit at the same table with them. 

We have already alluded to the wonderful variety to 
be found in the game of Whist ; and we may now add 
that this variety is manifested, not only in the distribu- 
tion of the cards — which is the work of chance — 
but also in the playing of them, which depends on the 
human will. It is with this latter element that we have 
now more especially to do. 

Although the construction of the game is so simple 
that it might be defined in a few words, and learnt by 
a child in a few minutes, yet such is the amazing scope 
it gives for individuality of play, that the same deal, or 
even the same hand of cards, might be played in an 
immense number of different ways, according to what 
the player's notions of good and bad play might be. 
And this variety involves modes of treatment so differ- 
ent in their character and principles, as really to merit 
the name of distinct games. Thus we often hear it 
said, " Such a man plays a game quite different from 
mine ; " and we find " the old-fashioned game,'* " the 
modern game," the "domestic game," "the club 
game," " the scientific game," and so on, all spoken 
of as if they were separate things agreeing only in the 



i6 MODERN WHIST. 

primary features which distinguish Whist from other 
games at cards. 

Now it is a very natural inquiry, whether, among so 
many various modes and systems, differing so widely 
from each other, there is any one in particular which 
may be identified and defined as superior to the others, 
and which consequently ought to be preferred for 
study ? If so, what is this system ? What is the theory 
on which it is based ? And on what grounds does its 
superiority rest? 

It is the object of the present essay to endeavor to 
answer these questions. 

In the first place, is there any particular mode of 
playing Whist, which is so distinct from and so supe- 
rior to all others, as to merit being distinguished as the 
best game ? It is very common to hear this denied, 
particularly by inferior players, who will argue that 
opinions vary, that they think their own system as good 
as other people's, and so on. If by this they mean 
(as some of them do) that they consider the game 
chiefly as one of chance, and that their amusement is 
as much promoted by one mode of playing as another, 
we have nothing to say to them, except to suggest that 
" Beggar my Neighbor " or " Pope Joan " would be 
games better adapted to their capacities. But there are 
others, more worthy of attention, who object to all rules 
and systems whatever, declaring that the play ought to 
be determined by the player's judgment and will alone ; 



INTRODUCTION, 17 

and the objection is usually backed by the assertion 
that play on any fixed system is often unsuccessful, 
which is, of course, only the necessary consequence of 
the large entrance of chance into the game. Self- 
taught players are extremely confused in their notions 
on this point. When they see good play fail to win, 
they will point out, with amusing ex post facto discrim- 
ination, how much more fortunate some other course 
would have been ; but when good play does succeed, 
and they, holding perhaps fair hands, happen to be 
the losing parties, they will complain '' how cross 
the cards run,'* as if the whole were entirely due to 
accident ! 

The fact is, that, like almost every thing else that 
may be done in different ways, there is a best way of 
playing Whist ; and, although a very wide latitude may 
always be left for individual judgment and skill, yet 
the existence of a system of play, preferable to all 
others, is sufficiently proved by its acknowledgment by 
the best writers and the best players, and by a 
tolerably near agreement, among all these authorities, 
as to what this system is. 

The immortal Ho34e appears to have been the first 
to perceive, a century and a quarter ago, that Whist 
was capable of being reduced to a scientific and logi- 
cal system, of high intellectual merit ; and although 
his descriptions are somewhat obscure (as might nat- 
urally be expected in the first efforts to describe a 



I& MODERN WHIST, 

complicated new discovery) yet careful and persever- 
ing examination enables us to trace clearly in them the 
general nature of the system he founded. This has 
been adopted in its general form by all succeeding 
writers and players of eminence ; and, as might be 
expected, the constantly progressive experience of so 
long a period, and the attention devoted to the game 
by many powerful minds, have gradually developed the 
system into a more complete and perfect form, and 
have added to it modem improvements of much inter- 
est and value, tending still further to raise the intellect- 
ual character of the game. 

It is this general system, therefore, which is laid 
down by almost all writers of any authority, and prac- 
tised by almost all players whose example is worth fol- 
lowing ; and we need no further proof that, as far as 
our knowledge at present extends, it is the best that 
ingenuity and skill have been able to devise.* It is 
worthy the appellation of a scientific system, on account 
of the elevated reasoning it involves; and on this 
account, combined with the fact that some of its fea- 
tures are of late invention, we shall designate it as 
'' The Modern Scientific Game.'' 

This system, as we have already said, essentially 



' From actual trials, extending over a long period, the author has seen 
reason to infer that the systematic combined game explained in this treatise, 
gives an advantage, in the long run, over unsystematic separate play, of about 
kalf a point in each rubber. 



INTRODUCTION. 19 

requires to 'h^ learnt and studied. It has been the 
result of long combined experience, and careful and 
intricate deduction, and it is scarcely possible for any 
one individual to arrive at the knowledge of it by his 
own practice, however extended, or his own judgment, 
however shrewd ; and he must therefore be content to 
be taught it, as students in other scientific branches of 
knowledge are. 

There has hitherto, however, been a great defect in 
the manner of teaching this system. It has been the 
invariable custom to lay down practical rules and di- 
rections for play ^ sometimes in their naked simplicity, 
and sometimes accompanied with more or less argu- 
ment or explanation (as done to a certain extent 
originally by Hoyle and Mathews), but always leav- 
ing the student to extract for himself, from this 
mass of detail, the general principles on which these 
rules were based. Just as if a student of chemistry 
were put into a working druggist's shop, and expected 
to acquire all his knowledge of the science, by infer- 
ence, from the operations he was taught to carry on 
there. 

In other words, no attempt has ever been made to 
work out or to explain the liindamental theory of the 
game ; and, believing that the thorough understanding 
of this is the best possible preparation for using the 
rules aright, and for acquiring an intelligent style of 
play, we propose to state this theory somev/hat fully, 



20 MaDERN wimsT. 

and to show how it becomes developed in the sha;p^ 
of practical rules. 

But, before entering on this, it will be advisable to 
explain the meaning of some of the principal technical 
terms we shall have to employ. 



CHAPTER II. 

Explanation of Technical Terms used in the Modem 
Scientific Game, 

Bring in. See Establish. 

Command. — You are said to have the command of 
a suit when you hold the best cards in it. If you have 
sufficient of them to be able to draw all those in the 
other hands (as would probably be the case if you had 
ace, king, queen, and two others), the command is 
complete ; if not, it may be or^y partial or temporary. 
Co7nmanding cards are the cards which give you the 
command. 

Conventional signals ^XQ certain modes of play de- 
signed purposely, by common consent, for the object 
of conveying information to your partner. They 
have come into use in modern times, and the " Sig- 
nal for Trumps" is the best known of them. There 
is, however, much difference of opinion about them.* 

Discard, — The card you throw away when you 

^ See an article, by the author of this book, on the subject, in tho 
" Fortnightly Review," April, 1879. 



22 MODERN- WHIST, 

have none of the suit led, and do not trump it. The 
discard is of great importance as giving information 
to your partner. 

Establish, — A suit is said to be established when 
you hold the complete command of it. This may 
sometimes happen to be the case originally, but it is 
more common to obtain it in the course of the play by 
' clearing ' away the cards that obstructed you, so as 
to remain with the best in your hand. It is highly 
desirable to establish your long suit as soon as you can, 
for which purpose not only your adversaries' hands, 
but also your partner's, must be cleared from the 
obstructing cards. 

When your suit is once established, if the adversa- 
ries' trumps are out, and you can get the lead, it is 
obvious you may make a trick with every card of it 
you hold ; and this is called b7i?iging it in. 

The establishment and bringing-in of long suits form 
the great distinguishing features of the modern scien- 
tific game. 

False card is a card played contrary to the estab- 
lished rules or conventions of the game, and which 
therefore is calculated to deceive the other players 
as to the state of your hand : as, for example, fol- 
lowing suit with the highest or middle card of a 
sequence, or throwing away other than your lowest 
card. The play of false cards without very good rea- 
son is characteristic only of hopelessly bad players. 



EX PLANA TION OF TECHNICAL TERMS. 23 

Fiiiessing is an attempt, by the third player, to make 
a lower card answer the purpose of a higher (which is 
usually his duty to play) under the hope that an inter- 
mediate card may not lie to his left hand. Thus, hav- 
ing ace and queen of your partner's lead, yoMfazesse 
the queen, hoping the fourth player may not hold the 
king. Or if your partner leads a knave, and you hold 
the king, you vcidcy finesse or pass the knave, i.e., play 
a small card to it, under the hope that it may force 
the ace. The word is sometimes applied to cases 
where it is certai7i the inferior card will answer the 
purpose intended ; as, for example, where the left hand 
has already shown weakness. But this is clearly a 
misuse of the term, for unless there is a risk of the card 
being beaten, it is only ordinary play, and can involve 
no finessing — properly so called. 

You are said to finesse against the intermediate 
card, and sometimes also against the person who holds 
it; but as by the nature of the case it should be 
unknown where the card lies, the latter meaning is apt 
to create confusion. The person against whom you 
act is more correctly the fourth player. 

Forcing means obliging your partner or your adver- 
sary to trump a trick, by leading a suit of which they 
have none. 

Guarded second, or second-best guarded, is the com- 
bination of the second-best card for the time being, 
with a small one to guard it against being taken by 



24 MODERN WHIST. 

the best ; as, for example, king and a small one origin- 
ally, or knave and a small one when the ace and 
queen have been played. 

This combination is an important one, having an ad- 
vantage analogous to that of the tenace ; namely, that 
if the suit is led by your left-hand adversary, you are cer- 
tain (bar trumping) to make your second-best card. 

Honors are the ace, king, queen, and knave of 
trumps : the term, however, is often applied to the 
same cards in plain suits. The ten and nine are 
sometimes called semi-honors, 

Leadmg through or zip to. — The person who leads 
is said to lead through his /<?/*/-hand adversary, and up 
to his right-hand one ; such being the direction in 
which the play runs. 

Long cards are cards remaining in one hand when 
all the rest of that suit have been played. 

Long Suit, — One of which you hold more than 
three cards. See Strength, 

Loose card means a card in hand of no value, and 
consequently the fittest to throw away. 

Make, — To make a card means simply to win a 
trick with it. 

Master card, or best card, means the highest card 
hi at the time. Thus, if the ace and king were out, 
the master card would be the queen. This is some- 
times also called the " king card," a name likely to 
cause confusion. 



EXPLANATION OF TECHNICAL TERMS, 25 

Opening, — Term borrowed from chess, to denote 
the system on which you commence or open your 
game when you get your first lead. 

Plam suits are the three suits not trumps. 

Re-entry, — A card of re-entry is one that will, by 
winning a trick, bring you the lead at an advanced 
period of the hand. 

Renounce, — When a player has none of the suit led, 
he is said to renounce that suit. 

Revoke, — If he fails to follow suit when he has any 
of the suit, he revokes, and incurs a serious penalty. 

Ruffing is another word for trumping a suit of 
which you have none. 

Score, — The counting or marking of the progress 
of the game. Attention to the score, which is very 
necessary in playing, refers not only to the progress, 
but also to the prospects of the game, as evidenced 
by the tricks made and honors held in the current 
hand, 

Seesaw, or saw, is when each of two partners ruffs 
a different suit, so that they may lead alternately into 
each other's hands. 

Sequence, — Any number of cards in consecutive 
order, as king, queen, and knave. The ace, queen, 
and ten would form a sequence if the king and knave 
were out. 

A tierce is a sequence of three cards ; a quart of 
four ; and a quint of five. 



26 MODERN WHIST. 

A head sequence is one standing at the head of the 
suit in your hand, even though it may not contain the 
best card; a subordinate sequence is one standing 
lower down ; and it is an interinediate sequence if you 
hold cards both higher and lower. 

Short Suit, — One of which you hold originally not 
more than three cards. See Strength, 

Signal for Trumps, — Throwing away unnecessarily, 
and contrary to ordinary play, a high card before a 
low one, is called the signal for trumps, or asking for 
trumps ; being a command to your partner to lead 
trumps the first opportunity, — a command which, in 
the modern scientific game, he is bound to obey, 
whatever his own hand may be. 

Singleton, — A name which implies holding one 
card only of a suit. 

Strength^ Strong Suit, Strong Hand, — These are 
terms which it is highly essential to have clearly 
defined, as their interpretation lies at the root of the 
theory of the modern scientific game. 

The cards of any suit contained in your hand may 
vary in two different ways, — as regards number, and 
as regards rank. 

As regards number of cards : as there are thirteen 
cards to divide among four persons, it is clear that 
three cards or less will be under the average, while 
four cards or more will be over the average, due to 
each person. 



EXPLANATION OF TECHNICAL TERMS, 27 

Again, as to rank, the middle card of a suit is the 
eight : any cards you hold above this may be consid- 
ered high cards ; any below, low cards. 

Nov/, it has been the habit to use the terms strength 
and weakness^ as applied indiscriminately to either 
number or rank. — a practice which, though no doubt 
it may be defended analogically, is yet calculated to 
cause great confusion in the mind of the student, 
inasmuch as the two things must be very differently 
regarded in any scientific system of play. If, for ex- 
ample, a strong st!it luis been spoken of, it might mean 
either one in which you possess a large number of 
cards (as, say, the two, three, four, five, six, and seven), 
or in which you hold only a few very high ones, as^ 
say, ace, king, and queen ; the former being numerical 
strength, the latter strength of rank. 

This twofold meaning has, however, become so 
firmly implanted in Whist nomenclature that it would 
be useless to attempt to eradicate it. All we can do 
is to endeavor to get a little more perspicuity by using 
as much as possible the term long suit to indicate 
strength in numbers, leaving the word strong to apply 
chiefly to high cards. 

Thus any suit of which you hold four or more will 
be called a long suit, being longer than the average. 
Any suit of three or less will be called a short suit, 
being shorter than the average. 

When we speak of a strong suit, we shall generally 



28 MODERN' WHIST. 

refer to one containing cards of a higher than average 
rank ; and of a weak suit, the contrary. 

A long suit will naturally have a greater chance of 
containing high cards than a short one, and this is 
probably the reason why the confusion of terms has 
arisen. 

A strong hand is difficult to define, further than 
as one likely to make many tricks ; a weak one, the 
contrary. The terms are often misused when parts 
of the hand only are referred to; as, for example, 
when you are advised to " lead up to the weak hand," 
which merely refers to a hand weak in the particular 
suit you lead. 

Strengthening play is getting rid of high cards in 
any suit, the effect of which is to give an improved 
value to the lower cards of that suit still remaining 
in, and so to strengthen the hand that holds them. 
Strengthening play is most beneficial to the hand that 
is longest in the suit. 

Tenace. — A tenace, in modern Whist,^ is under- 
stood to mean the combination, in the same hand, of 
the best and third-best card for the time being of any 
suit ; as, for example, the ace and queen originally, or 
the king and ten when the ace and knave have been 
played. 

* The old writers, as Hoyle and Mathews, use this word as referring rather 
to ^t position than the cards; but the meaning in the text is the more modem 



EXPLANATION OF TECHNICAL TERMS. 29 

The advantage of this combination is that, if you 
are fourth player in the suit, you will certainly (bar 
trumping) make two tricks in it ; and it is therefore 
much to your interest that the suit should be led by 
your left-hand adversary. 

The word has nothing to do with ten and ace ; it 
probably comes from the Latin fenax, the policy being 
to hold back the suit containing the tenace rather 
than to lead it. 

A minor tenace is the combination of the second 
and fourth best cards. 

Under-play usually signifies keeping back best cards, 
and playing subordinate ones instead. This is some- 
times advantageous in trumps, or in plain suits when 
strong in trumps, or when trumps are out; but it 
requires care and judgment to avoid evil consequences 
from deceiving your partner, and from having your 
best cards subsequently ruffed. 

Wiakftiss^ Weak Suit. See Strength. 



CHAPTER III. 
Theory of the Game. 

The basis of the theory of the modem scientific 
game of Whist lies in the relations existing between 
the players. 

It is a fundamental feature of the construction of 
the game, that the four players are intended to act, 
not singly and independently, but in a double combina- 
tion, two of them hting partners against a partnership 
of the other t\vo. And it is the full recognition of 
this fact, carried out into all the ramifications of the 
play, which characterizes the scientific game, and gives 
it its superiority over all others. 

Yet, obvious as this fact is, it is astonishing how 
imperfectly it is appreciated among players generally. 
Some ignore the partnership altogether, except in the 
mere division of the stakes, neither caring to help 
their partners nor be helped by them, but playing as 
if each had to fight his battle alone. Others will go 
farther, giving so7ne degree of consideration to the 
partner, but still always making their own hand the 



THEORY OF THE GAME. 31 

chief object; and among this latter class are often 
found players of much skill and judgment, and who 
pass for adepts in the game. 

The scientific theory, however, goes much farther. 
It carries out the community of interests to the fullest 
extent possible. It forbids the player to consider his 
own hand apart from that of his partner, but com- 
mands him to treat both in strict conjunction, teaching 
him, in fact, to play the two hands combined as if they 
were one. For this object the two players carefully 
attend to a well-understood system of inferences, 
by which each becomes informed to the fullest 
extent possible of the contents of his partner's 
hand, and endeavors to play in such a manner as is 
best for the combination. The advantage of this com- 
bined principle is almost self-evident : for, suppose it 
carried to an extreme by each partner seeing the 
other's cards; no one could doubt the resulting ad- 
vantage : and the modern system is as near an 
approach to this as the rules of the game will permit. 
There are, however, two objections sometimes brought 
against it which deserve brief notice. 

First, it is said that you might often play your own 
hand to more advantage by treating it in your own way, 
and that the combined principle may lead you to sac- 
rifice it. But this objection is merely founded on a 
misapprehension as to how the principle is applied; 
for a study of the resulting system will show that it 



32 



MODERN WHIST, 



is calculated fully to realize any advantages your own 
hand may possess, while the cases in which sacrifice is 
required are only those in which the joint interest 
is indubitably promoted thereby. Then, secondly, it is 
objected that all indications given to your partner may 
also be seen by the opponents and turned against you ; 
and it is sometimes argued that by enlightening in this 
way two enemies and only one friend you establish a 
balance to your disadvantage. But this involves a con- 
fusion in reasoning ; for, if the opponents are equally 
good players, they will adopt the same system, and the 
positions must be equal; and if they are not good 
players, they will be incapable of profiting by the indi- 
cations you give, and the whole advantage will rest with 
you. Besides, even good players seldom pay so much 
heed to their opponents' as to their partner's indica- 
tions, the attention being always most prominently 
directed to the partner's play. It would be more logi- 
cal to put the argument in another form, and to say 
that, if you play obscurely, you are in constant danger 
of getting obstruction instead of help from your part- 
ner, which would give you three opponents to fight 
single-handed.^ 

The fact is, however, that the general adoption of 



' One of our best modem players calls it a " golden maxim for Whist," 
that ** it is of more importance to inform your partner than to deceive your 
adversary," and adds that ** the best Whist player is he who plays the game 
in the simplest and most intelligible way." 



THEORY OF THE GAME, 



Z7> 



the principle should by no means supersede the exer- 
cise of judgment in its application. We shall hereafter 
point out that the individual qualifications of the vari- 
ous players should have an important influence on the 
mode of play ; and a practised player will soon learn 
to discriminate cases where it may be more proper to 
withhold information than to give it. Such cases are 
of constant occurrence, but they do not affect the 
general advantage of the combined principle, which is 
sufficiently established by the fact that it is the result 
of long experience, is practised by the best players, 
and is recommended by the first authorities on the 
game. 

Now, in order that the two hands may be managed 
conjointly to the best advantage, it is requisite that 
each partner should adopt the same general system of 
treating his hand. For it is clear that if one player 
prefer one system, and the other a different one, such 
cross purposes must render any combination impractic- 
able. It is necessary, therefore, here to explain some- 
what fully what the different systems are, on which a 
hand may be treated, and to show which of them is 
considered the preferable one for adoption. 

The object of play is of course to make tricks, and 
tricks may be made in four different ways, viz. : 

I. By the natural predominance of master cards ^ as 
aces and kings. This forms the leading idea of begin- 
ners, whose notions of trick-making do not usually 



34 MODERN WHIST, 

extend beyond the high cards they have happened to 
receive. But a little more knowledge and experience 
soon show that this must be made subordinate to more 
advanced considerations. 

2. Tricks may be also made by taking advantage of 
the positio7i of the cards, so as to evade the higher 
ones, and make smaller ones win ; as, for example, in 
finessing, and in leading up to a weak suit. This 
method is one which, although always kept well in 
view by good players, is yet only of accidental occur- 
rence, and therefore does not enter into our present 
discussion of the general systems of treating the 
hand. 

3. Another mode of trick- making is by trumping^ — 
a system almost as fascinating to beginners as the 
realization of master cards ; but the correction of this 
predilection requires much deeper study. 

4. The fourth method of making tricks is by 
establishing and bringing in a long suit, every card of 
which will then make a trick, whatever be its value. 
This method, though the most scientific, is the least 
obvious, and therefore is the least practised by young 
players. 

Now, the first, third, and fourth methods of making 
tricks, may be said to constitute different systems^ 
according to either of which a player may view his 
hand and regulate his play. An example will make 
this quite clear. 



I 



THEORY OF THE GAME. 35 

Suppose the elder hand, having the first lead, re- 
ceives the following cards : — 

Hearts (Trumps), Q. 9, 6, 3. 
Spades .... Kg. Kn, 8, 4, 3, 2. 
Diamonds ... A. Kg. 
Clubs . . . , Q. 

He may adopt either of the three above-named 
views in regard to his hand, and the choice he makes 
will at once influence \\\'^ first lead. 

If badly taught, he will probably adopt the first 
system, and lead out at once his ace and king of 
diamonds. 

Or if he peculiarly affect the trumping system, he 
will lead out the queen of clubs, in hopes of ruffing the 
suit when it is led again. 

But if he is a more advanced player, he will, at any 
rate for his first lead, adopt the fourth method ; he 
will lead a small card of his long suit of spades, know- 
ing that if he can ultimately establish it and bring it in, 
he must make several tricks in it. 

The importance of a correct choice between the 
three systems consists principally in the fact alluded 
to above, that it directly influences the first lead, or 
what we may call (in analogy with chess) the opening 
of the game. For, on the combined principle of action, 
the first lead is by far the most irnportant one in the 
whole hand, inasmuch as it is the first and most promi- 
nent intimation given to your partner as to the cards 



26 MODE:^N IVI/IST, 

you hold. He will, if he is a good player, observe 
with great attention the card you lead, and will at once 
draw inferences from it that may perhaps influence 
the whole of his plans. And hence the nature of the 
opening you adopt is of the greatest consequence to 
your joint welfare. And it is clear, that, however your 
play may vary in the after-part of the hand, you must, 
as a general principle, adopt always the same opening, 
or it will be impossible for your partner to draw any 
inferences from it at all. 

Let us, therefore, consider how the choice between 
the three systems of play is determined. 

We may dismiss the first, or master-card system, 
very briefly. It is evidently not good at once to lead 
out master cards of a suit of which you hold only a 
few ; for the reason that you can probably make them 
whenever any one else leads it, and that they will then 
sejve as "cards of re-entry,'* to procure you additional 
leads at a future period of the hand, which then be- 
come peculiarly valuable, owing to the increased infor- 
mation you have obtained. Hence the master-card 
system, though often of great use, m^ust not be the one 
by which the opening of the game is determined. 

Between the two other systems, however, the choice 
is not so clear. It is by no means easy to prove which 
of them, if pursued systematically, would in the long- 
run be the most advantageous as regards the single 



THEORY OF THE GAME. ^y 

hand; to demonstrate this would require the study of 
almost iniinite combinations of chances. But there is 
a conclusive argument in favor of the fourth or long- 
suit system ; namely ;, that, treated a? a form of opening, 
it is the only one which adapts itself favorably and 
conveniently to the combinatioii of the hands. 

The difficulties in the combined use of the trumping 
system would be very great. In the first place, it 
would not often happen that your hand contained a 
suit of one card only : you might have none of a suit, 
when you could not lead it ; your minimum might be 
two, when the policy would be doubtful ; or three, 
when it would be useless. Hence there would be no 
uniformity in your opening ; it would be always equiv- 
ocal, and would consequently give your partner no 
information. Then, after leading a single card you 
could not yourself persevere in your system," or do any 
thing more to further it ; as your next lead must be 
on some other ground — a complexity which would 
effectually prevent favorable combined action. And, 
thirdly, your plan would be so easily overthrown by 
the adversaries leading trumps, which, if they knew 
your system, a very moderate strength would justify 
them in doing, to your utter discomfiture. 

The long-suit opening is free from all these objec- 
tions. It is uniformly practicable, as every hand must 
contain at least one suit of four cards ; you can per- 
severe in your design every time you get the lead, 



38 MODERN WHIST, 

whether your partner can help you or not ; your indi- 
cations to your partner are positi^^e and unmistakable ; 
and the adversaries are ahuost powerless to offer you 
any direct obstruction — their only resource being to 
bring forward counter-plans of their own. 

It is sometimes alleged against the long-suit open- 
ing, that in many cases it cannot be followed to its 
conclusion, from the strength of trumps being against 
you, or from untoward fall of the cards. But even in 
this case it is still the safest ; as, though it may not 
succeed for yourself, it is the way least likely to help 
your adversary, and, indeed, it furnishes you always 
with the best means of obstructing him, by forcing his 
hand. And it must be recollected that its adoption as 
an opening does not bind you always implicitly to follow 
it up, or in the least prevent you from making tricks, 
in the after-part of the hand, by any of the other 
modes, if you should find it to your interest to do so. 
Any master-cards you possess will take care of them- 
selves; and if you are short of a suit, and wish to 
trump it, you have only to wait till it is led by some 
one else, and you attain your object without mislead- 
ing your partner. 

Thus the long-suit system has not only peculiar 
benefits of its own, but it permits full advantage 
being taken of the other systems also, and, used as 
an opening, is in all cases the safest play. To this we 
may add that it has characterized the scientific game 



■ 



THEORY OF THE GAME. 



39 



ever since it was invented ; it has stood the test of 
long experience; and is universally adopted by the 
best authorities we have. At the same time, by the 
more recondite and scientific character of the play it 
admits of, it is preferred by all eminent players, as 
calling into operation the highest intellectual and rea- 
soning powers, and thereby greatly ennobling the 
game. 

Accepting, therefore, this system as the preferable 
one, we are now able to enunciate the fundamental 
theory of the modern scientific game, which is : — 

That the hands of the two partners shall not be 
played singly and independently, but shall be combined, 
and treated as one ; and that, in order to carry out 
most effectually this principle of combination, each 
partner shall adopt the long-suit system as the general 
basis of his play. 



CHAPTER IV. 

Development of the Theory, 

We now proceed to explain how this theory is 
developed into a practical shape; and this we must 
divide off under several heads. The most impor- 
tant is 

Its Influence on the Management of Trumps. 

The treatment of trumps is a great puzzle to ill- 
taught players, who generally use them in the wildest 
and most unskilful way. To play them in detail to 
the best advantage, always requires much judgment, 
even in the most educated ; but the general principles 
of their management are easily and clearly deter- 
mined by our theory, as we shall endeavor to show. 

Trumps may be used for three distinct purposes : 
namely, — 

I. To play as ordinary or plain suits. This use, 
however, ignores their higher or special value, and 
ought therefore to be made quite subordinate to the 
other two. 



DEVELOPMENT OF THE THEORY, 41 

2. To make tricks by trumping. 

3. To aid in making your own or your partner^s 
long suits or high cards. 

The theory we have enunciated points clearly to 
the third use of trumps as the highest and most 
scientific, and accordingly this application of them is 
always the most proiiiinent in the scientific game. 
It is obvious that the chief obstacle to making long 
suits is their being trumped by the adversary; and 
that therefore the advantage will be with that party 
who, having predominant strength in trumps, can 
succeed in drawing those of the adversaries. 

For this reason, whenever you have five trumps, 
whatever they are, or whatever the other components 
of your hand, yoic should lead them; for the prob- 
ability is that three, or at most four, rounds will 
exhaust those of the adversaries, and you will still 
have one or two left to bring in your own or your 
partner's long suits, and to stop those of the enemy. 
And notice, that it is numerical strength of trumps 
that is most important for this purpose, so that you 
must not be deterred from leading them, even if all 
five should be small ones ; for in this case probably 
your partner will hold honors, and even if the honors 
are all against you, you will probably soon bring down 
two together. 

And, further, you must recollect that it is no argu- 
ment against leading trumps from five, that you have 



42 MODERN WHIST, 

no long suit, and that your hand is otherwise weak. 
For it is the essence of the combined principle, that 
you work for your partner as well as yourself; and 
the probability is that if you are weak, he is strong, 
and will have long suits or good cards to bring in. 
And if, unfortunately, it should happen that you are 
both weak, any other play would be probably still 
worse for you. 

The lead of trumps is considered so important to 
the science of the modern game, that, for many years 
back, a conventional signal has been introduced, by 
which, when a player wants them to be led, and cannot 
get the lead himself, he may intimate the fact to his 
partner, and call upon him to lead them. This signal 
consists simply in throwing away, unnecessarily, a 
higher card before a lower. Thus, suppose king and 
ace of some suit are led consecutively, and your two 
lowest cards are the seven and the three, the usual 
play is to throw away first the three and next the 
seven. But if you reverse this order, playing first 
the seven and then the three, this is a command to 
your partner to lead trumps immediately. It is called 
the signal for trumps or asking for trumps ; it is 
explained in all modern works, and it is become a 
recognized arrangement in all the best Whist circles. 

It will also be evident, that, as the success of the 
long-suit system depends so much on the early ex- 
traction of trumps by the hand strong in them, it is 



DEVELOPMENT OF THE THEORY. 43 

your i7nperaiive duty to return trumps immediately 
if your partner leads them, or to lead them the first 
opportunity if he signals for them. You must not 
consider your own cards ; for if you agree to play the 
correct game, you are bound to do what is best for 
the cotnbined hands, and your partner, having the 
power of conferring so great a mutual benefit, must 
not be thwarted in his design. It is the understood 
etiquette, for the strong hand in trumps always to 
take precedence ; and a partner who refuses to con- 
form to the rule should be " sent to Coventry " by all 
good players. It is an old Joe Miller in Whist circles, 
that there are only two reasons that can justify you 
in not returning trumps to your partner's lead : i.e., 
first, sudden illness ; secondly, having none. There 
is, however, one case in which you have an option, 
and that is where your partner, in desperation, leads 
trumps from weakness, in hopes you are strong ; if, 
therefore, you are also weak, you can return them or. 
not, as you think best for the game. 

The foregoing remarks apply to the cases of great 
numerical strength in trumps, one hand being supposed 
to hold five. It remains to be considered how trumps 
should be treated when you hold a less number. 

With four trumps you are still numerically strong, 
but you have not, as in the former case, such over- 
powering strength as warrants you in leading trumps 
at all hazards. Possibly one of the adversaries may 



44 MODERN WHIST. 

also hold four, or even five, in which cases you might 
be unintentionally playing his game. 

Hence with four trumps considerable discretion is 
required, their lead being only warranted by tolerable 
strength, either of yourself or your partner, in other 
suits ; in which case, even if long trumps remain in 
against you, you may manage to force them out and 
afterwards bring in your good cards. But if you have 
to lead before you can ascertain what your partner's 
hand consists of, and if you have a good plain suit, it 
is generally best to lead that first. 

With a short suit of trumps, i.e., with less than fot^r, 
it is very seldom right to lead them at the commence- 
ment of the hand ; for the obvious reason, that, if 
the adversaries happen to be strong, you are playing 
their game. It can only be warranted by very strong 
cards in all other suits, by which you may, perhaps, 
be able effectively to force a strong adverse trump 
hand. 

Many uneducated players will lead a high trump 
from weakness, in order, as they say, to strengthen 
their partner; but this is founded on imperfect rea- 
soning. The effect of leading high or strengthening 
cards is to benefit the hand that is longest in the suit ; 
and if you know this to be your partner's case, the 
play is right. But to do it in uncertainty is wrong, 
since it is two to one that the longest hand is not with 
your partner, but with one of the adversaries, and 



MANAGEMENT OF TRUMPS, 45 

therefore the chances are that you favor the opponents' 
game. 

Many unscientific players will also lead trurnps. 
simply because their long suit is trumped, or is iikciy 
to be so. This also is a mistake ; for, as before, if 
the adversaries are strongest in trumps, you are only 
playing their game. 

The proper use to make of trumps when you are 
numerically weak in them is to use them, if possible, 
for ruffing. You cannot, for want of strength, put 
them to their highest use, and you must therefore fall 
back upon their lower application. 

Several corollaries arise out of the foregoing prin- 
ples of the scientific management of trumps. For 
example : — 

It will often happen, that being second player, and 
having none of the suit led, you may be at a loss to 
know whether to trump a doubtful trick or to leave 
it for your partner. This difficulty is at once solved 
by the foregoing theory. If you are weak in trumps, 
holding, say, not more than three, trump without hesi- 
tation, as your trumps are of no other use, and they 
may probably save a commanding card of your part- 
ner's, which in the adversaries' suit will be very valu- 
able. But if you have a long suit of trumps, holding 
four or more, pass the trick, as they are too valuable 
lo risk wasting. It may even be sometimes advisable, 
in the latter case, to refuse a trick which is certainly 



46 MODERN WHIST, 

against you, as your trumps will ultimately make, and 
you may perhaps discard advantageously. This rule 
is additionally useful as an indication to your partner. 
If he sees you trump freely second-hand, he will know 
you are weak; if you abstain, he will infer you are 
strong, and his knowledge of either fact may be of 
great value to you both. In the latter case, also, your 
discard will give him very useful information. 

The greatest mischief that can be done to a strong 
trump hand is to fo7xe it to ruff, so depriving it of its 
preponderating strength. This must be borne in mind 
if you see your partner renounce a suit, when you 
must, if you know him to be strong in trumps, carefully 
avoid forcing him. If you have had no indication of 
his hand, you must form, as well as you can, a judg- 
ment by your own ; if you are weak, he may probably 
be strong : and hence the rule that you must notfoixe 
your partner when you are ^veak in tru7nps yourself, 
until you are satisfied that your doing so will not harm 
him. 

These principles also teach you how best to oppose 
a strong adverse trump hand, and to seek to diminish 
the advantages it gives over you. In this case you 
have first carefully to avoid leading trumps, which is 
the adversaries' game ; and, secondly, you must force 
the adverse strong hand to ruff whenever you can. By 
this means, if persevered in, you may perhaps succeed 
in neutralizing the opposing strength, and so in making 



MANAGEMENT OF TRUMPS, 47 

your own good or long cards, although the chances 
are generally against you. At any rate, you can en- 
deavor to make use of your trumps for ruffing before 
they are drawn. 

Many players, when weak in trumps, will lead 
through an honor turned up, without any other motive 
than" to give their partner a supposed trifling advan- 
tage in making a trick with them. This is a delusion, 
and is moreover entirely at variance v/ith the princi- 
ples of the modern game, inasmuch as it debases the 
trumps to their lowest use. But its worst fault is 
that it entirely misleads your partner, who, if he plays 
properly, will imagine you to be strong, and by re- 
turning them probably destroy your joint game. 

Again, if you have great numerical strength in 
trumps, you should never hesitate to lead them up to 
an honor. It is true your partner, being obliged to 
play his best, may possibly lose a high card ; but this 
will be rather to your advantage than otherwise, as 
it will strengthen your hand, and give you earlier the 
entire command. If you abstain from leading them, 
your partner may imagine the strength to be against 
him, and will play accordingly ; and thus the immense 
advantage of your strong trumps may be lost. 

Such are the chief practical principles in regard to 
trumps, deducible from the scientific modern theory. 
It will be seen they are a powerful engine for the 
advantageous working of plain suits, and that they 



48 MODERN WHIST. 

require to be played with great care. In fact, the 
way in which a player manages his trumps will always 
form the surest index of the extent of his knowledge 
of the game. 

Management of Plain Suits. Long-Suit Lead. 

We now go on to show the general application of 
the scientific theory to the play of suits not trumps, 
or, as they are called, plai^i suits. 

Supposing you have first lead, not being very strong 
in trumps, but having a long suit in your hand. Ad- 
hering to the established mode of *' opening," you lead 
from your long suit, thereby at once informing your 
partner what is the chief component of your hand. 
He will recollect this, and as it is his duty to return 
your lead hereafter, and your interest to persevere in 
your suit, you will have the opportunity of *• making " 
any good cards in it which the joint hands may con- 
tain, and you may probably after three rounds be left 
with one or two lo7ig cards of it in your own hand. 
These long cards m.ay then become very valuable ; if 
the trumps can be extracted from the adverse hands, 
and you can get the lead, either by a tramp or a card of 
re-entry, they will make certain tricks ; if any trum.ps 
remain against you, the long cards may be made 
powerful weapons of offence by forcing them out : 
so that in either case the system of play will be advan- 
tageous for you. 



LONG-SUIT LEAD, 49 

Next comes the question, What card should you 
lead from your long suit ? To answer this fully, would 
involve more detail than we purpose to go into here ; 
but there are some prominent considerations that will 
serve as guides for general practice. 

As an abstract principle, it is not good to part with 
your high cards at first, as it is very desirable to retain 
the complete command of the suit at a later period. 
Suppose, for instance, you hold ace, king, and three 
small ones : the most advantageous lead (if it were 
not for a consideration we shall enter into by and by) 
would be a small one ; for on the second round you 
would have the complete command with your ace 
and king, being able probably thereby to draw all the 
others and pursue your suit to the end. When you 
have such command, your suit is said to be established^ 
and it is evidently advantageous for you to get this 
effected as early as you possibly can. This principle 
would, therefore, dictate that your first lead should 
generally be a low card of your suit. 

But there is a circumstance which considerably 
modifies the application of this principle in practice, 
— that is, the risk of the suit being ruffed by the 
adversaries, — on which account it is advisable to 
depart in some measure from it for the sake of mak- 
ing your winning cards early. Thus in the above 
hand of ace, king, and three small ones, if you were 
to begin with a small one, reserving your two high 



50 MODERN WHIST, 

cards for the second and third rounds, you would 
probably have one of them trumped; for which 
reason it is good policy to play them out first, at the 
risk of delaying the establishment of your suit. 

The first-named principle will, however, always 
apply for leading trumps, and also for plain suits 
when trumps are out, as the motive for the departure 
from it then no longer exists. 

There is also another kind of exception from begin- 
ning with a low card, but which directly tends to 
promote the early establishment of your suit; name- 
ly, when you have a high sequence, such as Q. Kn. 
ID, at the head of your hand. In this case your en- 
deavor should be to force out the higher cards, for 
which purpose you lead the highest of your sequence, 
say the queen, which will be almost sure to force out 
either the ace or king, if against you ; if the other is 
also against you, you may, on another round, bring 
it out with the knave, leaving you then with the 
best card and probably with the entire command. 

Directions how these principles may be applied in 
leading from particular combinations of cards, are 
usually given in the detailed rules of play. 

Return of the Lead, 

Hitherto we have only spoken of your own proceed- 
ings in leading. But it is now desirable to consider 
your partner's duty, i.e., how he is expected to help 



RETURN OF THE LEAD. 51 

you in regard to the play of your long suit. It is not 
enough that he simply return your lead : the efficiency 
of his aid will much depend on what cards he plays. 

The key to this Hes in the fact, that, as you hold 
fnore than the average number of cards in the suit, he 
will probably hold less; i.e., if it is a long suit v/ith you, 
it will be a short one with him. If you, for example, 
hold five, the chances are much against his holding 
more than three. And it follows from this, that the 
best thing he can do for the joint benefit is to play his 
cards rather with reference to your hand than his own, 
i.e., to give you the more important part of the play 
in reference to the suit in question. 

And there are two principles deducible at once from 
our theory, which will serve for his guidance in this 
particular. 

The first is, that he must get rid of the command of 
your suit; for we have already stated it to be emi- 
nently desirable you should get this early into your 
own hand, in order to establish your suit as soon as 
possible. Thus, whenever he finds he holds the best 
card in it, he must play it out, in order to get it out of 
your way. 

And then, secondly, he must adopt, in this suit, what 
is called strengthening play. The meaning of this term 
is often misunderstood, but it is exceedingly simple. 
Whenever a high card is played, its withdrawal pro- 
motes (in military parlance) all the lower cards of that 



52 MODERN WHIST, 

suit still existing in the various hands; i.e., it raises 
each of them a step in rank, v/hat was formerly the 
third best becoming now the second best, and so on. 
And as it is evident that the longest hand will be most 
likely to benefit by this proceeding, this hand is said 
to be stre7igtheiied thereby ; so that when your partner 
pla-ys out high cards of your long suit, even though he 
may not make tricks with them, their withdrawal will 
strengthen and thereby benefit you. This is an im- 
portant reason for the well-knowni rule to play highest 
third hand; you having led from your long suit, your 
partner plays the highest he has, not only to do his 
best towards getting the trick, but also, if he loses it, 
to strengthen your hand by getting high cards out of 
your way. This last object is entirely lost sight of by 
those silly people who feel mortified at " having their 
high cards taken," as well as by those, not much less 
silly, who, when strong in trumps, object to '' lead up 
to an honor." 

For this reason also your partner 77ms t not finesse in 
your lo7ig stnt, except with ace and queen the first time 
round, which, provided he gets rid of the ace soon 
afterwards, is considered allowable. 

The principle of strengthening play must also guide 
your partner in returning your lead ; for if he is short 
in the suit (i.e., if he held not more than three cards 
originally) , it will be very advantageous to you that he 
should return the highest he has left, and not the low- 



RETURN OF THE LEAD, 53 

est ; he may thus either save a high card of yours, or 
may afford you a good finesse, or at all events he will 
strengthen your hand, and aid you in estabhshing your 
suit. Thus if your partner originally held king, knave, 
and a small one, and has played out his king to your 
first lead, when he returns the suit he must lead the 
knave, and not the small one. 

This duty of returning the highest of a weak suit is 
so imperative, that it has now, by universal consent 
of the best players, become an established rule, by 
adhering to which your partner may show you the 
state of his hand. If, for example, he had originally 
ace, five, and four of your lead, after winning with the 
ace he must return the five and not the four. It 
matters nothing to hiiUy but it may be all-important to 
you, and violation of the rule may lose the game. 

It is of course possible that your partner may hold 
originally more than three of your suit. In this case 
he is, like you, numerically strong, and this should 
justify him in so far considering his own hand as to 
depart from the before-mentioned rule, and to return 
his lowest. But in any case, if he happens after the 
first round of your long suit still to hold the desf or 
master card in it, he should play it out at once, to get 
it out of your way, and to prevent your imagining it is 
against you. 

It is by no means necessary that your partner should 
return your lead immediately (except in trumps, which 



54 MODERN WHIST, 

he is bound to return instante?-) : on the contrary, it 
is highly desirable that the first lead he gets, he should 
lead his own long suit, so as to put you as early as 
possible in possession of information as to his hand, 
in return for that he has obtained from you. This will 
guide you to another lead when your own suit is 
stopped, and will promote your joint action. 

After you and your partner have both led your long 
suits, you will probably have a choice whether to go on 
with your own suit or with his. This will often be de- 
termined by the fall of the cards. If, for example, you 
win his lead cheaply ^ you should not return it^ as you 
would be leading through the weak hand, which is 
contrary to principle, and the- lead will come more 
properly from him. If, on the other hand, your part- 
ner has shown himself very weak in your suit, and 
you are also not very strong, it would usually be dis- 
advantageous to go on with that, and you may prob- 
ably do better to return your partner's. If your right- 
hand adversary has shown himself weak in your suit, 
pursue it by all means, as your partner ought not to 
return it for you. 

The foregoing explanations will show the nature of 
the mutual duties which the modern or combined game 
enjoins between yourself and your partner; for we 
need hardly add, that all we have said as to his duties 
to you, as aiding you in your suit, equally defines your 
duties in aiding him. This mutuality cannot be too 



FURTHER REMARKS ON THE LEAD. 55 

Strongly insisted on ; the want of a proper perception 
of it is the great fault of many otherwise good self- 
taught players, and it is the hardest lesson they liave 
to learn. There are numbers of people who can pky 
their own hands excellently, but who have no idea 
either of getting help from or of affording help to their 
partners, and who must therefore lose all the beneiit 
derivable from the combined game.' 

Further Remarks on the Lead. 

We have hitherto assumed that you lead from the 
longest suit you hold, which is the safe general rule ; 
but cases often occur which involve some difficulty of 
choice. For example, suppose you have five small 
cards in one plain suit, and four with honors in an- 
other. The theory by no means imperatively calls on 
you to lead the former ; for it must be borne in mind 
that the rank of the cards always deserves considera- 
tion, and your leading the four suit (which is still a 
long suit) would be perfectly justifiable. 

Similarly a question might arise between four small 
cards and three good ones ; but here the case is differ- 
ent, for three cards constitute a short suit, to lead which 
unnecessarily would be a violation of the theory. 

Such, however, is the infinite variety of Whist, that 
provision must be made for leading under all sorts of 

* One of our best modern players characterizes playing for your owa 
hand alone as " the worst fault he knows in a Whist player." 



56 ' MODERN WHIST, 

circumstances, and from short suits among others. For 
example, you may have originally no long suit except 
trumps, which you do not feel justified in leading ; or 
your own long suit may be trumped, and your partner 
may not yet have given you any indication what to lead 
for him. Leads from short suits, being contrary to 
principle, are called unnatural or forced leads. It is 
necessary to be prepared for them, and the following 
hints may be of use : — 

It is good to lead up to the loeak adversary, or 
through the strong one. Therefore you may pretty 
safely lead a suit in which your right-hand adversary 
has shown himself weak, or your left-hand adversary 
strong. (Indication of strength is given by the lead ; 
of weakness, by the play of the third and fourth hand, 
and by the discard^ Remember, however, that, as a 
general rule, returning your adversary's lead is to be 
avoided. 

When you are obliged to lead from a short suit, the 
general rule is to play out the highest card you have, 
to inform your partner. If you have any reason to 
know that he is long in the suit, the rule admits of no 
exception ; but if you are doubtful on this point, it 
inay be taken with some reserve. If, for example, you 
have a king or queen with two small ones, you may 
lead the smallest, so as to try and save the honor in 
case of the strength lying against you. 

When you lead in this way an unnatural or forced 



FURTHER REMARKS ON THE LEAD. 57 

lead, your partner ought generally to know it by the 
card you play, and ought not to retit^rn it unless he 
liappens to be strong in that suit himself, when he may 
treat it as a lead of his cv/n. 

If it is injudicious to lead from three cards, it may 
easily be inferred how much more erroneous it is for 
your first lead to be from two or one ; such being, as 
we have already explained, contrary to the essential 
principles of the modern scientific game. It is quite 
possible that in certain cases such a lead may seem to 
suit your own hand : but by adopting it you give up 
altogether the principle of the combined game ; you 
make up your mind wilfully to mislead your partner, 
and run a great risk of sacrificing his hand. For a 
glance at the foregoing rules will amply show how es- 
sentially, if he is a well-taught player, his mode of play 
will depend on the first card he sees fall from you, and 
the inferences he draws therefrom as to the state of 
your hand. 

There is an old rule that you should not lead from a 
tenace^ and this is no doubt good as regards a short 
suit ; but if your tenace suit is your longest, the ad- 
vantage of opening your game correctly is so great as 
to outweigh the other consideration. When you hap- 
pen to be left with a tenace towards the end of the 
hand, the case is different, as you should generally hold 
it carefully back, and try to get it led up to. 



58 MODERN WHIST. 

Discarding. 

The long-suit system will furnish you with a good 
principle of guidance in the matter of discarding. 
The ordinary rule is that the discard should be made 
from short or weak suits, not from long ones. The 
cards of the former are of little use ; those of the 
latter may be very valuable, even to the smallest you 
have. 

But there is an exception to this rule in the case 
where the strength in trumps has been declared 
against you. It is then advisable you should care- 
fully preserve any protection you may have in your 
short suits ; and as your long suit is not likely to 
come in, you throw its small cards away. 

The discard, practised on these principles, fur- 
nishes a very important means of conveying informa- 
tion to your partner as to the state of your hand. 

Policy towards the Adversaries. 

A word or two is necessary as to your course in 
regard to your adversaries ; for it must be recollected, 
you have not only to play your own and your part- 
ner's game, but you have also to defend it against 
hostile attacks, and to be able to attack the enemy in 
turn. 

The principles dictated by the theor}^ of the game 
in this respect are very clear, the golden rule beiii^^ 
to do to them what you would not that they should 



COMMUNICATION BETWEEN PARTNERS, 59 

do unto you. For example : if you find a strong 
hand of trumps declared against you, you must force 
that hand to ruff, as the best means of destroying its 
strength, while you must take the earliest opportunity 
of making your own weak trumps by ruffing before 
they are drawn, and of enabling your partner to do 
the same if he is weak also. You must generally be 
chary of returning the adversaries' leads, or of doing 
any thing to aid in establishing their suits, of which 
you should avoid parting with the command — just 
the reverse of the principle you adopt with your part- 
ner. Any thing, in fact, which the principle of the 
game recommends in regard to your partner, you 
must avoid with your adversaries ; and, on the other 
hand, you may adopt, towards them, any kind of play 
which would do your partner harm. 

Cofmmmicaiion between the Pai^tners. 

We have already stated that the theory of the scien- 
tific or combined game essentially contemplates the 
interchange of communication between the partners 
to the fullest legal extent, as to the state and contents 
of each other's hands ; and as the giving, obtaining, 
and making use of such information forms one of the 
chief characteristics of good play, a few additional 
words on the point may be useful here. 

In the first place, the system of play itself furnishes 
a large source of information ; for by following care- 



6o MODERN WHIST. 

fully the established principles, and by avoiding wild 
and irregular play, you will certainly put your partner 
in possession of the most material facts as to your 
hand, w^hile by carefully observing his play you will 
become possessed of similar information as to his 
hand in return. A glance through the foregoing 
remarks will show this quite clearly. 

But, independently of this, you must adopt every 
further means in your power of giving him informa- 
tion, and there are many ways in which this may be 
done. We have already mentioned some modes 
of play which, by common consent, have become 
legalized and adopted for the purpose, such as the 
sigjial for truijips, and returning the highest from a 
short suit ; and there are one or two others which 
may be remarked on. 

The mode of playing sequences furnishes one of 
these. Suppose, being third player, you hold king 
and queen; it is clearly immaterial, as regards the 
immediate effect, which of these two cards you play ; 
but since you have the choice, advantage is taken of 
the fact to enable you to give your partner informa- 
tion, the rule being that you always play the lowest 
of the sequence ; so that your partner, understanding 
this habit, will at once acquire the knowledge that 
you have not the knave, but may have the king. 
If you played the king, he would erroneously infer 
that you had not the queen ; and this error might 



COMMUNICATION BETWEEN PARTNERS, 6i 

cause hini to do your joint game much injury. This 
rule of playing the lowest of a sequence appHes when- 
ever you are second, third, or fourth player; but 
when you lead, different considerations come in, 
which require, in many cases, the highest of the 
sequence to be played. This is, however, perfectly 
well understood, and causes no confusion. 

There are also several other lesser means of convey- 
ing information, such as by retaining the turn-up card 
as long as you can, and by particular modes of play in 
particular cases : as, for example, if you found your- 
self at a certain period of the game with the best and 
second best cards of trumps, or of a plain suit when 
trumps were out, you would lead the second best, 
to show your partner you held the best also ; or, in 
discarding from a suit of which you have full command, 
it is a convention to throw away the highest, which 
your partner must know you would not do without 
good reason. Other devices of this land will often 
suggest themselves in the course of play. 

And this consideration should also guide you to be 
extremely careful against doing any thing which may 
mislead your partner, particularly in the management 
of your small cards ; for example, it would be inex- 
cusable unnecessarily to throw away a three or a four 
if you held a two. Deceiving your partner is a crime 
which ought to be held in the greatest abhorrence by 
a Whist player. It is ranked by one of our greatest 



62 MODERN WHIST, 

Whist authorities with want of veracity in common 

affairs. " In no other position in life," says he, 

** would you tell me that which is untrue ; and why 
should you do it here? " 

On the Degree of Strictness with which Systematic Play 
should bs adhered to. 

It does not follow, that, because the modern sci- 
entific game involves a general system of play, this 
system is to be rigidly and slavishly adhered to, with- 
out judgment or discrimination. On the contrary, 
one of the characteristics of a fine player is his ability 
and tact in finding out when and to what extent he 
may modify or depart from the ordinary rules. It is 
impossible to teach this, and it is scarcely advisable 
that the learner should trouble himself much about 
it ; for it is far preferable to show even too strict an 
adherence to principle than to depart from it wildly 
and unskilfully. A^Hien the systematic theory and 
practice of the scientific game have been fully mas- 
tered, practice and observation will soon point out, to 
the intelligent student, the modes in which he may 
advantageously modify his play. 

The principal cause which justifies what one may 
call exceptional or irregular play, is the state of the 
score^ which in Short Whist continually requires the 
most careful attention. The necessity for gaining a 
certain definite number of tricks, in order to win or 



SYSTEMATIC PLAY. 63 

to save the game, under peculiar circumstances of the 
hands, often gives rise to special problems, out of 
the usual category, and for which the ordinary system 
riust be entirely thrown aside. If, for example, you 
:;::ore four, and have six tricks already, it is absurd to 
trouble yourself about any scientific mode of play, 
if by any possible means, ever so irregular and excep- 
tional, you can insure one trick more. And so if, at 
love-all, three honors are declared against you, and 
you have four tricks up, any kind of play will be 
right that will get you the fifth trick to save the game. 

Towards the end of the hand, rules may be often 
advantageously laid aside, and false cards played : for 
then the great scheme of play cannot be affected 
by them ; it has been settled and carried out long 
before. 

There is another justification for departure from 
strict systematic play : that is, the consideration of the 
personal capabilities of your partner or your adversa- 
ries, and their degree of knowledge of the game. It 
is an essence of the scientific game, consequent on 
its mutual and combined character, that both partners 
must understand it, and must play on the same gen- 
eral principles, otherwise the mutuality cannot con- 
sistently be carried out. And a question arises from 
this, which often puzzles students ; i.e.. What should 
you do when you have a partner who does not under- 
stand and consequently does not play the scientific 
game? 



64 MODERN WHIST, 

This question is difficult to answer, as so much 
depends on the extent of his capabilities. It is, how- 
ever, certain that you must considerably modify your 
play, as all the features which depend on your part- 
ner's appreciation of the combined game would be 
thrown away. It would be folly, for example, to give 
the signal for trumps or any other conventional sign 
if it was not likely to be understood. And the case 
would be worse if one or both of the adversaries hap- 
pened to be observant players ; for in such cases the 
more information you gave as to your hand, the more 
facihty you would afford for your own defeat. 

It is impossible to give rules for such cases : some- 
times it might be politic to play for your own hand 
only ; at others you might partially help your partner 
(if you could understand his play) though he might 
not help you ; at other times you might most profit- 
ably devote your attention to thwarting your adver- 
saries. All would be a matter of judgment at the 
time. 

The only thing to be said is, that principles of play 
which depend essentially on a joint action of the two 
partners must not inflexibly be carried out when one 
of their most fundamental conditions is wanting ; and 
that, consequently, what would be very bad play if you 
had a good partner, may be perfectly good when 
you have a bad one.' 

* This subject is further developed ia Appendix B. 



CHAPTER V. 
Rules and Directions for Play, 

The foregoing remarks illustrate what we have 
called the Theory of the Scientific or Modern Game. 
The way in which this theory is usually brought into 
practical application is by means of rules or direc- 
tions for play ; indeed the ordinary plan in teaching 
Whist, either personally or by books, is to give these 
rules only, either ignoring the theory altogether, or 
only allowing it to be inferred by the student as well 
as he can. 

Many collections of Rules, carried out in consider- 
able detail, will be found in the best modern works 
on Whist ; but it will be useful to give here a short 
summary of the principal ones, arranged in a con- 
venient form for reference. 

It must be explained, that among such rules are 
included many which have no direct reference to the 
theory of the game, but are matters of detail, provid- 
ing for what we may call the accidents of play. 



66 MODERN WHIST. 



Summary of Rules and Directions for Play, 

The principles on which most of these rules are based will be 
found in the foregoing theoretical considerations. Some further ex- 
planations, together with notes of exceptions and other useful remarks, 
are appended in small type. 

The Lead. 

Let your first or principal lead be from your best 
long suit. 

If you have two suits, each of more than three cards, you may 
prefer the one which is strongest in high cards ; but always avoid, if 
possible, an original lead from a suit of less than four. 

Holding in this suit ace and king, lead king first, 
then ace. 

This is preferable to beginning with the ace, as it may sometimes 
convey useful information. No good partner would trump your king 
led. 

If you hold ace, king, queen, lead king first, then queen for the 
same reason. 

Holding king and qtteen, lead king. 

And, if it wins, a small one, as the ace ought to be with your 
partner. 

Holding king^ queen, knave, ten, lead the lowest of the sequence, 
to induce your partner to put on the ace, if he has it, and leave you 
with the command. 

Holding ace, queen, knave, lead ace, then queen. 

So as to obtain the command with the knave. 

Holding ace and four others (not including king, 
or queen with knave), lead ace, then a small one. 



THE LEAD, 67 

To prevent the chance of your ace being: trumped second 
round. 

Holding queen^ knavcy ten^ at the head of your suit, 
lead the highest. 

It is an old and well-known rule to "lead the highest of a se- 
quence." But like many other rules, when the reason of it is not 
comprehended, it is often totally misunderstood and misapplied. 
The object of doing this is to prevent your partner from putting on 
the next highest, if he has it ; but there are many cases where you 
ought to desire him to put it on, and where, consequently, the low- 
est ought to be played — as, for example, when you hold a quart to a 
king, as before directed. In a general way the rule should apply 
only to a high sequence heading the suit in your own hand, and not 
to low or subordinate sequences, to lead the highest of which would 
only deceive your partner without doing you any good. 

Holding king^ knave^ ten, lead the ten ; with the 
nine also, lead the nine. In other cases lead a low 
card. 

If trumps are out before you open your suit, you 
should lead differently, keeping back your high cards. 

See the rules for trump leads, which apply in a great measure to 
this case also. 

Lead your own long suit, if you have one, before 
you return your partner*s. 

Unless you happen to hold the master-card in your partner's suit, 
which you should part with as early as you can, to get it out of yout 
partner's way, and prevent his imagining it is against him. 



68 MODERN WHIST, 

In returning your partner's lead, if you hold not 
more than three cards of the suit originally^ always 
return the highest you have left. 

To strengthen his hand, and to give him information. If you 
originally held four, return the lowest, unless you have the master- 
card, which play out at once, as before directed. Also, if you hap- 
pen to have discarded one of the four, play as if you had held only 
three. 

It IS good to lead a suit in which your right-hand 
adversary is weak, or your le/t-hsmd strong. 

i.e.f lead ti/> to the weak suit, or through the strong one. On this 
principle avoid, if possible, returning your partner's suit, if you have 
won his lead cheaply. 

(Indication of strength is given by the lead ; of weakness, by the 
play of third and fourth hand, and by the discard.) 

If obliged to lead from a suit of less than four cards, 
the general rule is to lead the highest. 

To inform your partner. If you have any reason to know he is 
long in the suit, the rule admits of no exception ; but if you are doubt- 
ful on this point, it may be taken with some reserve. For example, 
if you hold king or queen with two small cards in a suit respecting 
which no indication has yet been given, to lead the honor might not 
only throw away a chance of making it, but strengthen one of your 
adversaries. 

Avoid leading a suit which one adversary ruffs, and 
the other discards to. 

Unless you are sure of forcing the strong trump hand. 

Towards the end of the hand it may often win you 
an extra trick to avoid leading from a tenace or a 



SECOND HAND, 69 

" guarded second/* and to try and induce your left- 
hand adversary to lead that suit for you. 

This is one of the points in which ^t?^ play is best shown. 



Seco?id Hand, 

The general rule for the second hand is to play 
your lowest.^ 

For your partner has a good chance of winning the trick ; and the 
strength being on your right, it is good to reserve your high cards 
(particularly tenaces, such as ace and queen) for the return of the 
lead, when you will become fourth player. 

With one honor and one small card the best players adhere to 
this rule. 

The following are some of the most usual excep- 
tions to this rule : — 

Holding ace and king, put on king. 
" king and queen, ** queen. 
** ace, queen, knave, ** knave. 

The second round of a suit, it is generally right to 
win the trick, second hand, if you hold the best card. 

1 The exceptions to this rule which it is customary to make among 
Whist players generally are many and complicated, particularly in regard 
to *' covering an honor " led. The author has investigated this subject 
very fully (see his "Philosophy of Whist," De La Rue & Co., London, 
Fourth Edition, Part II., chapters xx. and xxi.), and he has arrived at 
the conclusion that it is advisable for students generally to ignore these 
departures from the rule, except in the simple cases here given. 



70 MODERN WHIST, 

Great strength in trumps, however, which always warrants a 
backward game, may sometimes justify you in leaving it to your 
partner, particularly as you thereby keep the command of the adver- 
sary's suit. 

Do not trump a doubtful trick second hand if 
strong in trumps : if weak, trump fearlessly. 

Third Hand, 

The general rule for the third hand is to play the 
highest you have. 

In order not only to do your best to win the trick, but to strength- 
en your partner's long suit by getting the high cards out of his way. 
If you have a head sequence, remember to play the lowest of it. 

This rule is subject, however, to the pecuhar attri- 
bute of the third hand as legsirds ^nessmg. 

To know how to finesse properly, requires great judgment and 
experience, but there are a few useful rules of general application: — 

a. The first-time round of a suit, if you hold ace and queen, you 
always play the queen. 

d. With this exception, it is wrong in principle to finesse in your 
partner's long suit, as he wants the high cards out of his way. If you 
see that he leads from weakness, or if he leads you strengthening 
cards in your own long suit, you may finesse more freely. 

c. It is dangerous to finesse the second-time round of a suit, as the 
chances are it will be trumped the third time. 

d. If, however, you are strong in trumps, you may finesse much 
more freely, as your trumps may enable you to bring your high cards 
in. 

e. With minor tenace it is generally proper to finesse the second 
round, as the best card must probably be to your left ; and if the third 
best is there also, both your cards must be lost in any case. 



FO UR TH HA ND. 71 

/ It is of no use to finesse if the previous play has shown that 
the intermediate card, against which you finessa^ does not lie to your 
right ; for in that case it must be either with your partner or your 
left-hand adversary, in either of which cases finessing is obviously 
useless. 

g. The advisableness or not of finessing in certain cases late in the 
hand is often determined by the fall of the cards or the state of 
the score ; e.g.^ when you particularly want one trick to win or save 
the game, or if, from what you know of your partner's or opponents* 
cards, you see you can only get one, it would be wrong to finesse for 
the chance of gaining two. 

Be careful to watch the fall of the cards from your 
left-hand neighbor, in order that, if he proves weak 
in a suit, you may avoid wasting high cards when 
small ones would suffice to win the trick over him. 
This is very necessary, as your partner is often likely 
to lead up to the weak hand. 

Fourth Hand, 

In this you have in most cases little to do but to win 
the trick as cheaply as you can. 

And recollect, if you do win it cheaply, it may afford you a hint 
for a good lead when you are in want of one. 

Fanciful players sometimes refuse to win the trick 
fourth hand ; this m,ay be done by very clever and 
experienced players, as a coup of fine play to get 
some foreseen advantage ; but students should not 
give way to fancies of the kind. 

Cases sometimes arise in which it is advisable to 
win a trick already your partner's. 



72 MODERN WHIST, 

As, for example, to get high obstructing cards out of his v/av, cr 
to enable you to lead up to a weak hand, or otherwise to alter the 
position of the lead. 

Management of Trtimps, 

If you have five or more trumps, lead them, or 
signal to your partner to do so/ 

As explained in the foregoing theoretical remarks. 

A trump lead from four may be warranted by 
strength, either of your own hand or your partner's 
in other suits, but always requires judgment and 
care. 

A trump lead from three or less is seldom wise, 
being only justifiable by great strength in all other 
suits, or by special necessity, such as stopping a 
cross ruff, etc. 

You must not lead trumps simply because your long suit is 
trumped ; for if your adversaries are strong in them, you wiU only 
be playing their game. 

The .proper card to lead from your own strong suit 
of trumps varies a little from that of common suits. 

* This rule has been much criticised, but as the general principle it 
embodies lies at the foundation of the modern scientific game, it is right 
to impress it strongly on the beginner- When he goes more into detail, 
and gains more experience, he will learn the cases where its application 
is inexpedient or doubtful. Many good players are more cautious in ask- 
mg for trumps than in leading them, and will not signal unless they hold 
at least one honor. 



MANAGEMENT OF TRUMPS, 73 

For the latter is influenced by the chance of being ruffed, from 
which the trump suit is free. 

;^or this reason, unless you have commanding strength enough to 
disarm the adversaries at once, you play a more backward game, gen- 
erally leading your lowest, to give the chance of the first trick to your 
partner. 

It is also very often advantageous to reserve a high trump to give 
you the lead the third time round, as, in case of adverse strength of 
trumps remaining against you, it may enable you to force it with 
much advantage. 

If you have ace^ king^ queen^ or any other commanding sequence, 
lead the lowest of them first, and then the next lowest, and so on, to 
inform your partner. 

If you have ace^ king, knave of trumps, it is often the practice to 
lead the king and then stop, waiting for the return of the lead in 
order to fmesse the knave. 

If your partner asks for trumps, you are bound 
to lead them, and if he leads them you are bound to 
return them the first opportunity. 

Remembering in either case, if you had not more than three, to 
play your highest^ in order to strengthen his hand. 

In inferring that your partner has asked for trumps, recollect that 
there are cases in which he may have necessarily played the higher 
card first : in the trump signal it must be played unnecessarily. 

Never lead through an honor turned up, unless you 
otherwise want trumps led. On the other hand, do 
not hesitate to lead up to an honor, if you are strong 
in them. 

As explained in Chapter IVc 

You may finesse in trumps much more deeply than 
in plain suits. 

As master cards must ultimately make. 



74 MODERN WHIST. 

Ruff freely when weak in trumps, but not wlier^ 
strong. 

See directions for the Second Hand. 

It may often be advisable when strong in trumps even to refuse to 
trump a trick which is certainly against you, as your trumps will ulti- 
mately make, and you may perhaps discard advantageously. If you 
see your partner do this, he will probably want trumps led, and 
you must carefully avoid forcing him. 

Do not force your partner if weak in trumps your- 
self.» 

A t least, not until you have ascertained it will do him no injury ; 
loi your weakness renders it probable he may be strong, when forcing 
may be the worst injury you could do. 

On the other hand, force a strong trump hand of 
the adversary whenever you can. 

Whenever you are not strong enough to lead trumps, you are weak 
enough to force your adversary. 

If, when you or your partner are leading trumps, 
one adversary renounces, you should not generally 
continue the suit. 

As you would be expending two for one drawn. Your proper game 
is then to try and make your and your partner's trumps separately. 

It may, however, often be advisable, even under this disadvantage, 
totally to disarm the adversary, if you or your partner have cards or 
suits to bring in. In this case the renouncing hand should be led up 
tOy rather than through, 

1 One of the best modern players defines " four trumps with one honor" 
as sufi&cient strength to wairant your forcing your partner. 



GENERAL DIRECTIONS, 75 

Similarly, if your partner renounces trumps, it is 
generally advisable to go on. 

As you draw two trumps by expending one. 

If you are dealer, retain the turn-up card as long 
as you can. 

To inform your partner. When, however, the adversaries are 

drawing trumps, it may sometimes be advisable to part with it un- 
necessarily, in order to avoid giving them information. 

General Directions, 

Sort your cards carefully, both according to suit 
and rank, and count the number of each suit. 
This will greatly assist the memory. 
If not leading, always play the lowest oi a sequence. 

This is one of the most important rules by which information is 
conveyed to your partner as to the contents of your hand, and if 
you have an observant and educated partner it must be carefully 
adhered to. 

Get rid of the commanding cards of your partner's 
long suit as soon as possible. Retain those of the 
adversaries' suits as long as you conveniently can. 

As explained in Chapter IV. 

Discard generally from short or weak suits, not 
from long or strong ones. 

Unless strength of trumps is declared against you, in which case 
you discard from your long suit. See p. 58. 



76 MODERN WI2IST. 

When you have the entire command of any suit, 
it is customary to discard (when the opportunity 
arises) the best cardy in order to inform your partner. 

Thus, having ace, king, queen, and knave of a suit not led, you 
would discard the ace ; for it must be obvious that you would not do 
this unless you had others equally good behind. 

Discarding the second best generally intimates you 
have no more of that suit. 

You throw it away because it is not likely to make. 

Be careful in the management of your small cards. 

In order not to mislead your partner. Do not not throw away 
carelessly a three or four if you hold a two. 

When your partner first renounces a suit, call his 
attention to the fact. 

As it may save a revoke. 

Keep constantly in mind the desirableness of afford- 
ing information to your partner, of obtaining infor- 
mation as to his hand, and of playing the hands 
jointly. 

This being the essence of the modern game. 

Pay attention to the state of the score, which ought 
often to influence your play. 

Remember that the third trick saves the game when honors are 
equal ; that the fifth saves it against two by honors, and the seventh 
against four by honors. Note also that the odd trick is twice as valu- 
able as any other, as it makes a difference of two to the score. Notice 



GENERAL DIRECTIONS, 77 

further, when you are near winning the game, how many tricks are 
wanting for that purpose. 

In all these cases it may be expedient to modify the usual play for 
the sake of getting the trick you want in preference to speculating 
for more ; for when you particularly require one trick, it would be 
folly to risk it (by finessing, for example) in order to have the chance . 
of gaining two. 

Consider also the effect of the lead. 

It is often desirable to depart from the usual modes of play for the 
sake of gaining the lead, or of giving it to your partner. 

And it is also sometimes worth while even to throw away a trick 
in order to give the lead to one of your adversaries ; as, for example, 
to make them lead up to a tenace or guarded second. 

These two latter rules afford the principal opportunities ioxfine 
play. 

Do not be discouraged when sound play fails of 
success, which must often occur. 



CHAPTER VL 

Conclusion, 

We have now expounded the theory of the modem 
scientific game, and shown the mode of carrying it 
out in practice. Any one who has sufficiently mas- 
tered the principles here laid down to apply them 
fluently in his play, may be called a sound player, and 
will possess by far the most important qualification for 
proficiency in the game. He will have immense ad- 
vantages over those who do not play on system : for 
he will know what he is about, which they never do ; 
and his game will be intelligible to a good partner, 
whom he will be in no danger of thwarting, as is so 
often done by untaught players. Every good player 
knows too well the annoyance of having a partner 
who, through want of appreciation of what a good 
game means, will persist in obstructing and opposing 
his play, often to their mutual discomfiture. 

And it is worthy of remark, how much a systematic 
commencement facilitates the study of the game. 
Everybody knows how difficult it is to learn Whist 



CONCLUSION, 79 

in the ordinary unsystematic way : th€ pupil is led 
blindly through a course of heterogeneous rules, of 
the foundation of which he knows nothing, and which 
therefore have no meaning to him beyond mere 
empirical dicta. He must gi*ope about for a long 
time in the dark, and can only enlighten himself by a 
gradual intuition of what the rules mean. 

But when the mode of play is shown to be a systeniy 
easily explained and as easily comprehended, it is as- 
tonishing in how different a light the game appears. 
Its acquisition, instead of being laborious and repul- 
sive, becomes easy and pleasant ; the student, instead 
of being frightened at the difficulties, finds them van- 
ish before him ; and even those who, having formerly 
practised without method, take the trouble of learn- 
ing the system, suddenly see the light break in upon 
them, and soon find themselves repaid a hundred-fold 
in the increased enjoyment and satisfaction the game 
will afford them. 

It is one of the great advantages of the modern 
scientific game, and of this systematic mode of teach- 
ing it, that it renders Whist attractive to the young. 
It was formerly almost exclusively practised by those 
somewhat advanced in life, who alone were supposed 
to have acquired sufficient experience and judgment to 
play it well. But now that the results of experience 
have been reduced to a systematic form, capable of 
being presented at once to the mind, and sparing the 



8o MODERN WHIST. 

years of practice formerly necessary for their induc- 
tion, we find the game taken up as an attractive occu- 
pation by young men of high intellectual character, 
some of whom rank as the finest players. And it is 
also due to the other sex to say that the introduction 
of the systematic form has been found to take from 
the game the stigma of being "only fit for elderly 
matrons/' and to render it now as attractive to our 
daughters and sisters as it used to be to our aunts 
and grandmothers. 

.But, great as is the step gained by systematic or 
sound play, something more is necessary to make a 
good player ; for here other qualifications enter into 
requisition, such as observation, memory, inference, 
and judgment. We must devote a few words to 
these. 

If you aspire to become a good player, you must 
OBSERVE carefully. Look constantly at the board, 
watch every card as it falls, and notice particularly 
every honor. When you are practised in this, ex- 
tend your special notice to the tens and nines, which, 
from their importance and the different appearance 
they have from the lower cards, it has been found 
convenient to call semi'ho7iors. Also let every original 
lead and renounce, or other sign of strength or weak- 
ness shown by each hand, impress itself upon your 
mind as it occurs. 



I 



CONCLUSION, 8i 

A good player must also exercise some effort of 
MEMORY to recollect the fall of the cards, and the in- 
dications given of the state of the hands. But the 
importance of this is vastly overrated by untaught 
players. We often hear such expressions as, "Mr. 
So-and-so is a first-rate player, for he can recollect 
every card out;** or, "I shall never play well — I 
have no memory." These are entirely delusions. 
Memory is of infinitely less importance than correct 
play. The best memory in the world will help a 
player very little if he does not understand and prac- 
tise the principles of the game ; if he does, a very 
moderate mnemonical power will suffice for every 
practical purpose. Let no one, therefore, despair on 
this ground. We will give a few hints, by following 
which the necessary power may be soon acquired. 

In the first place, avoid all artificial systems, such as 
placing the trumps in a particular place (which is 
perfectly childish), or any other contrivance of the 
kind, further than by carefully arranging and count- 
ing your cards at the beginning of the hand. Trust 
to the natural memory only, which will soon answer 
your demands upon it. 

Then, do not attempt to recollect too much at 
once : go by degrees. It is totally unnecessary to rec- 
ollect every card ; not one player in a hundred thou- 
sand could do that, or would desire to do it. The 
theory of the game shows us that there are some 



82:"" MODERN WHIST, 

things much more important to attend to than others, 
and we should commence by directing the memory to 
these. For example : — 

First, Always count the trumps ; notice the honors 
as they fall ; and remember the trump card. 

Secondly, Direct your attention to your own most 
important suit, and try to recollect the fall of the 
honors in it. As soon as you can do this well, try 
also to remember the semi-honors. 

Thirdly, Extend this to your partner^s suit also. ^ 

Go as much farther as you like ; but if you can do 
these, you will have done much to qualify yourself, as 
far as memory goes, for being a good player. 

Then, a good player will draw inferences, from what 
he sees, as to where certain cards do or do not lie, 
and generally as to the state of the various hands. 
Few players have any idea to what an extent this may 
be carried by attentive and thoughtful observation. 
There is not a single card played from which informa- 
tion of some kind may not be inferred ; in fact, as a 
great player expresses it, " Whist is a language, and 
every card played is an intelligible sentence." 

The insight good players get into their fellow-players' 
hands appears to the unpractised almost like second- 
sight. Great skill in this can of course only be at- 
tained by great practice and great attention, combined 
with some special talent; but every industrious and 



CONCLUSION. 



83 



careful player may do much in the way of inference, 
and when he has mastered the principles of the game, 
he ought to give the subject his best study. 
^ The following are some examples of the way in 
which inferences may be drawn from cards played : — 



Play. 



Lead, 



Inference. 



(In the player ^s own first lead.) 



Any plain suit. 



King. 

Ace, followed by queen. 
Ace, followed by a small one. 
Queen (plain suits). 

{In returning his partner'' s 

lead.) 
Does not lead out the master 

card. 
Any card, afterwards dropping a 

lower one. 
Any card, afterwards dropping a 

higher one. 
{Generally.) 
Forces his partner. 
Refrains from doing so. 



N.B. When there is an alter na- 
tive, your own hand or the fall 
of the other cards will often de- 
termine it. No account is here 
taken of the signal for trumps^ 
which will sometimes modify the 
inference to be drawn. 

Is the best in his hand ; he holds 
four or more of it ; and has not 
five trumps. 

Holds also either queen or ace. 

Holds knave also. 

Had originally five or more. 

Holds also knave and 10; but not 
ace or king. 



Does not hold it. 
Has no more. 
Has more. 



Is strong in trumps. 
Is weak in them. 



84 



MODERN WHIST. 



Play. 

King (to small one led). 
Queen (ditto). 

Knave (ditto). 



Any smaller card. 
Trumps a doubtful trick. 
Does not trump it. 



Ace. 



Inference. 
Second Player, 

Holds ace also, or no more. 

Holds king also, or ace and ten, 
or no more. 

Holds also queen and king, or 
queen and ace, or queen and 
one other only, or no more. 

Has none lower. 

Has not more than three trumps. 

Has more than three. 

Third Player. ^ 

Holds neither king nor queen. 



Fourth Player. 

Cannot win the trick. Has no card higher than the one 

against him. 
Wins it with any card. Has no card between this and the 

one against him. 



Second^ Thirds or Fourth Player, 

Has not the one next below it. 
Probably is strong in trumps, and 

wants them led. 
Is weak in that suit. 
Has the next best and the full 

command. 
Has n.0 more. 
Signal for trumps. 



Any card. 

Refuses to trump a trick certainly 

against him. 
Any discard, generally. 
Discards the best of any suit. 



Discards the second best. 
Plays unnecessarily a higher card 
before a lower. 



When it is considered that several of these oppor- 
tunities for inference will occur in every trick, it will 



CONCLUSION. 85 

cease to be a matter of wonder what a clear insight 
skilled and observant players will, after a few tricks, 
obtain into each other's hands. 

And, lastly, a good player must apply the results of 
his observation, memory, and inference with judgment 
in his play. This cannot be taught : it must depend 
entirely on the individual talent or good sense of the 
player, and the use he makes of his experience in the 
game. This will vary immensely in different indi- 
viduals, and the scope for individual judgment in play 
is one of the finest features of the game. 

It sometimes happens that a person who has quali- 
fied himself to be called a good player is further 
specially gifted by nature with the power to make 
master-strokes of genius and skill, which will then 
constitute him a fine player, the highest grade to 
which it is possible to attain. 

The student must, however, be careful not to aim 
at this too early; remembering always, that before 
becoming define player he must learn to be a sound 
one, and that the only way to do this is to be sought 
in a perfect systematic knowledge of the principles of 
the game. 



APPENDIX A. 

This example is given to show how singularly, 
under extreme circumstances, the bringing-in of a 
long suit may annihilate the most magnificent cards. 
The hand is a very remarkable Whist curiosity : A 
and C hold all the honors in every plain suit, and 
two honors in trumps, and yet do not make a single 
trick ! 

The winner of each trick is marked with an 
asterisk. 



Spades. Q. Kn. 

Diamonds. Kn. lo, 9, 8, 7, 6. 

Clubs. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6. 



Hearts. A. Q. 10, 8. 
Spades. 10, 9, 8, 7, 
6, S» 4, 3» 2. 



Hearts Trumps. 
B D 

(Dealer) 

2 turned up. 
A 



Hearts, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. 
Diamonds. 5, 4, 3, 2. 
Clubs. 5, 4, 3, 2. 



Hearts. Kg. Kn. 9, 7. 
Spades. A. Kg. 
Diamonds. A. Kg. Q. 
Clubs. A. Kg. Q. Kn. 



EXAMPLES OF HANDS. 



S7 



Trick. Play. 

I. A 7 of Hearts. 

Remark. — There can be no doubt 
about this being the proper lead. 

*B 8 of Hearts. 
C 6 of Clubs. 
D 2 of Hearts. 



II. B 2 of spades. 

C Knave of Spades. 
*D 3 of Hearts. 
A King of Spades. 



HI. D 4 of Hearts. 

Remark. — The propriety of this j 
lead is ofteH questioned; but it is de- 
fended by the impolicy of leading 
either of the extremely weak plain 
suits, and by the lead of trumps being 
up to a renouncing hand, and there- 
fore the most favorable possible. 
Also, by giving B the lead again, it 
enables him to continue the spade, for 
D to make his small trumps upon. 

A 9 of Hearts. 

*B 10 of Hearts. 

C 7 of Clubs. 



Trick. Play. 

IV. B 3 of Spades, 

C Queen of Spades. 
*D 5 of Hearts. 

A Ace of Spades. 



V. D 6 of Hearts. 

A Knave of Hearts. 
*B Queen of Hearts. 
C 8 of Clubs. 



VI. *B Ace of Hearts, 
A Kincf of Hearts. 



VII. 

VHL 

IX. 

X. 

XI. 

XII. 

XIII. 



*B 10 of Spades. 
*B 9 of Spades. 
*B 8 of Spades. 
^B 7 of Spades. 
*B 6 of Spades. 
*B 5 of Spades. 
*B 4 of Spades. 



B and D win every trick. 



APPENDIX B. 



ON MODIFICATIONS OF THE RULES, DE- 
PENDING ON THE STYLE OF PLAY OF 
YOUR PARTNER. 

It has been the principal object of this work, to 
show that the modern scientific game of Whist implies 
a combination of the hands of the two partners ; and 
it is of course essential to this combination, that each 
of the two partners must concur in adopting such a 
mode of play as will efficiently carry it out. It is not 
necessary that each should be equally skilful, or should 
bring an equal amount of judgment to bear ; but it is 
essential that each should understand the game in the 
same way, should be guided by the same main princi- 
ples, and should adopt the same system in the general 
treatment of his hand. 

Now, unfortunately, it happens that among the im- 
mense numbers of persons who play Whist, or who 
pretend to play it, only a small minority at present 
do understand or follow the system of the combined 



ON MODIFICATIONS OF THE RULES. 89 

game. Hence it continually happens, as every ex- 
perienced Whist-player knows, that you may sit down 
opposite a partner whose ideas of the game so little 
agree with your own, that any attempts you may make 
to bring about a combination of the hands are abortive. 

It becomes an interesting question, therefore, what 
is the best course for you to follow under such circum- 
stances ? How far will it be prudent to adhere to the 
usual system? and in what particulars should it be 
departed from ? It is impossible to give any complete 
answer to these questions ; there may be such infinite 
variety in your partner's style of play, that no pre- 
scribed plan would meet all cases. You may find 
almost infinite gradations — from the mere blunderer, 
ignorant of any kind of principle or rule, to the clever, 
shrewd, observant player of the old school, who will 
make the most skilful efforts to win the game, but 
will still refuse to adopt the proper means to show you 
his hand, or to understand and act on the indications 
you may give him of yours. 

The following extract from an article on " Modem 
Whist," in the " Quarterly Review " for January, 1871, 
contains the only attempt we know of to classify Whist- 
players according to their mode of play : — 

It would be vain to attempt to describe all the infinite vari- 
eties of bad play ; but it may be useful to give a few of its most 
saJient characteristics, and this we may do by dividing Whist- 
players into four classes, with, however, the proviso that such 



90 APPENDIX B. 

a classification must be only approximate, and far from ex- 
haustive in the lower grades. 

Beginning with the worst, the fourth class appear to have 
derived their ideas of playing from certain oral traditions, 
which, though widely spread, and doubtless of great antiquity, 
it is difficult to trace to any definite origin. Probably they 
may be the handing-down of the rudest practice in the infancy 
of the game. We have, as a matter of curiosity, paid some 
attention to the habits of this class ; and the following may be 
taken as a summary of their chief rules, which, we believe, now 
appear in print for the first time : — 

" If you have an ace and king of any plain suit, lead them 
out at once. If not, lead from the best card you hold, in the 
hope of making it some time ; or lead a single card for ruffing. 

"But if fortunately your partner has led before you, you 
have only to return his lead, and need not take the trouble of 
scheming a lead of your own. 

" Never lead trumps, even if led first by your partner ; it is 
wasting them, as they might make tricks by trumping. 

" In all other cases, do the best you can." 

The only idea of skill possessed by these players is in recol- 
lecting the high cards that are out, and in discovering when the 
partner is likely to be short of a suit, that they may force 
him to trump ; they are quite indifferent as to the play of 
sequences and small cards, and wonder at anybody attaching 
importance to such trifles. This class forms the great mass 
of domestic players ; they are generally very fond of the game, 
and practise it a great deal ; but their improvement is almost 
hopeless, as it is so hard to get them to take the first step, i.e., 
to unlearn every thing they already know. 

The third class are more deserving of respect. They have 
probably belonged originally to the fourth class, but by reading 
Hoyle or Matthews, or some of the old books, aided by careful 
attention, practice, and natural ability, they have risen much 



ON MODIFICATIONS OF l^HE RULES, 91 

above it, and have acquired, in domestic circles, the reputation 
of being superior players. They are very observant, recollect 
and calculate well, draw shrewd inferences as to how the cards 
lie, and generally are adepts in all the accidental features of 
good play. Their management of trumps is diametrically op- 
posed to that of the fourth class, as they have a great penchant 
for leading them, — a course almost always advantageous for 
them with inferior adversaries. 

But skilful as these players are, they commit, as Des- 
chapelles says, "one long and continual fault which they do 
not see ; " they are "forts joueurs qui sont de detestables parte- 
naires." They do not play upon system ; they will not conform 
to the conventional language of the game ; and hence they lose 
the great advantage of the combination of their own with their 
partner's hands. They, indeed, usually object to system alto- 
gether, arguing that the play should be dictated by their own 
judgment. A player of this class will often lead from short 
suits, or will lead trumps when weak, or abstain from leading 
them when strong, or will even refuse to return his partner's 
lead in them ; or, in fact, will adopt any other mode of playing 
for his own hand alone: "the worst fault,'* says Mr. Clay, 
" which I know in a Whist-player." 

If players of this class knew how easily they might step into 
the rank of first-class adepts, by simply adopting the orthodox 
system, they might be induced to devote a few hours to its 
acquisition ; but the great obstacle to their improvement is the 
pride they take in their own skill, which they object to make 
subservient to a set of rules, and, perhaps, in some instances, 
to the will of a partner inferior to themselves. 

The second class are those who play according to correct 
system, but who, from want either of practice or of talent, do 
not shine in individual skill. This is generally the case with 
the young who are properly taught, and their number is happily 
increasing every day. Two such players would unquestionably 



92 APPENDIX B. 

win over two much superior adversaries of the third class; 
and they make such admirable partners, that a fine player, 
working with one of them, would, of himself, realize almost 
the full advantage of the combination of the hands. This class 
are eminently hopeful ; they are already entitled to the name 
of good, sound players, and if they have only moderate abilities, 
they must continually improve. 

The first, or highest class, are those who, to the soundness 
and system of the second class, add the personal skill of the 
third. They then become fine players; and, although there 
may be among them many grades of excellence, they may, as a 
class, be said to have arrived at the summit of the scale. 

In the face of the immense variety of the style of 
play one may meet with, the only general advice that 
can be given is, as soon as it becomes apparent that 
your partner does not understand your own system, 
observe his play carefully, and endeavor to discover 
what his peculiarities are ; and if you find he has any 
fixed habits at all, you may in most cases adapt your 
own play to them, and so turn them to your joint ad- 
vantage. If he can not, or will not, fall in with your 
system, you must adopt his, and so endeavor still, in 
defiance of him, to make some sort of a combination, 
and avoid the cross purposes which are so beneficial 
to the adversary. 

xA.lthough, however, the varieties of play Avhich you 
may meet with from ill-educated, obstinate, or imprac- 
ticable partners are so wide, and require, to make the 
best of them, such a special study of their individual 



ON MODIFICATIONS OF THE RULES. 93 

characteristics, yet it is possible to adopt certain pre- 
cautionary measures in your own play, which will be 
of pretty general applicability. These deserve some 
careful investigation ; and to enable us to study them 
conveniently, it is sufficient to assume the sole condi- 
tion, in regard to your partner's play, that in playing 
his hand he does not adopt the recognized modern com- 
bined system, which it has been the object of this work 
to explain. 

If we examine carefully the various principles and 
rules which have been based on this system, we shall 
find in how many cases the rules themselves fail, when 
the muticalit)!, on which they rest, ceases to exist. 
The fundamental theoretical principle of the modem 
game, explained in Chap. III., is. That the hands of 
the two partners shall not be played singly and independ- 
ently, but shall be combined and treated as one. 

Now, by the assumed condition of your partner's 
play, the two hands cannot be combined and treated 
as one, for he does not enter into the required com- 
bination. And as, therefore, the fundamental element 
of the combination fails, the rules must be re-examined 
under another aspect, namely, that of their bearing on 
your own hand. If the use of a particular rule of 
play is either to give information to your partner, on 
which he is to act, or to support him in some scheme 
of combination originated by him, then such a rule 
must be abandoned or modified, as useless to your 



94 APPENDIX B, 

side, and only giving the opponents arms against you. 
But if, on the other hand, we find a certain rule bene- 
ficial per se, without reference to the combination, it 
may be retained. 

And in this case, another element may be admitted 
into consideration, which has been carefully excluded 
under the combined system ; namely, that of playing 
so as to deceive the adversaries. In the combined 
game, any unnecessary departures from recognized 
play, or any " false cards," are imperatively forbidden, 
on the ground that deceiving your partner does more 
evil than deceiving your adversaries does good. But 
manifestly, if your partner fails to draw the proper in- 
ferences, false play will not deceive him, and therefore, 
so far from being forbidden, it is to be recommended 
for its misleading effect on observant opponents. 

We may now go somewhat in detail through the 
various rules for play, keeping these conditions in mind. 
And the first thing to consider is, how they affect the 
general system of treating the hand. 

General Sy stein of Treating the Hand, 

In Chapter III. it is stated that, in order that the 
two hands may be managed conjointly to the best 
advantage, it is requisite that each partner should 
adopt the same general syste7?i of treating his hand. 
And after discussing fully the various systems that may 
be adopted, the conclusion is arrived at, that the 



ON MODIFICATIONS OF THE RULES, 95 

preferable one for this purpose is the long-suit system^ 
which determines that the opening of the game shall 
be by a long-suit lead. 

But it is manifest that if the combination of the 
hands is not to be carried out, the reason above given 
for the adoption of any particular system fails. Your 
partner will not adopt it, neither will he draw the 
proper inference from its adoption by you. Hence — 
which is the important thing — you are relieved from 
any restraint as to the opening of your game, and may 
make your first lead whatever you may deem most 
consistent with the interests of your own hand. 

The long-suit lead has many advantages per se, in- 
dependently of the information it conveys. If you 
can establish the suit, you may possibly bring it in 
without your partner's aid ; and if not, its cards may 
often be useful for forcing your adversaries. Moreover, 
it is always a good defensive lead, as it avoids the dan- 
ger of contributing to the establishment of any long 
suit of theirs. For these reasons, having a good 
long suit in your hand, it is generally the safest plan to 
lead from it, even though the most important motive 
for doing so is gone. 

But under the circumstances we are now consider- 
ing, the rule no longer becomes imperative. You may 
lead a single card, or from a suit of two, or three, with 
perfect freedom, if it suits you. It is impossible to 
give rules for such cases : the player must exercise his 
judgment on them as they arise. 



g6 APPENDIX B. 

Plain-Suit Leads. 

Supposing that you decide to adopt the long-suii. 
lead, the next question is, what card of the suit you 
shall play first ; and in this particular the fact of hav- 
ing an unsystematic partner considerably modifies the 
ordinary rules. 

From ace and king, the ordinary lead is king first, 
to inform your partner. With a bad partner this is 
useless ; and, as he might trump the king if he has not 
one of the suit, it is better to begin with the ace. 

From king and queen, the king is still the best lead, 
to prevent your partner from putting on the ace, or to 
force it out from the adversaries. 

From queen, knave, and te?i, still lead the queen, for 
analogous reasons. 

From ace, queen, knave, the usual lead, ace followed 
by queen, can hardly be improved upon; possibly, 
however, to follow the ace with the knave might de- 
ceive the adversaries as to the position of the queen, 
and might be useful in inducing your partner to put 
on the king, but it would not be so certain to force it 
out if on your left hand. 

From king, queen, knave, ten, or king, knave, ten, 
the ten may be adhered to, as the best way of making 
your partner get rid of the commanding cards. 

From ace and four others, the usual lead, of the ace 
first, enables a good partner to count your hand : with 



ON MODIFICATIONS OF THE RULES, 97 

a bad one you may begin with a small one as the best 
chance of making two tricks in the suit. 

In the other cases, where, with a good partner, you 
lead the smallest card you have, with a bad one 
you should prefer an intermediate one, as it is of little 
consequence to you or your partner, and may puzzle 
the adversaries. If you have an intermediate sequence, 
it is good to lead one of the cards forming it : thus, 
with king, ten, nine, eight, and three, lead the nine, 
which may prevent a small card from winning. 

Leading from a Short Suit, 

If in the ordinary game you lead from a short and 
weak suit (say, for example, ten and two small ones, or 
knave and a small one), you lead the highest, to inform 
your partner. But when this motive fails, the practice 
would only convey information to be used against you ; 
and you may lead the lowest or an intermediate card, 
to mystify your adversaries, and prevent their drawing 
any correct inference from your play. 

Leading Trumps from Five. 

This is almost always advantageous in the combined 
game, because with such great numerical strength you 
may generally disarm the opponents, and bring in your 
own or your partner's long suits or high cards. 

But to do this you must have your partner's co- 
operation ; and this, with an uneducated player, you 



^S ' APPENDIX B, 



- 



probably will not obtain. He may not understand the 
long-suit system ; or he may consider your trump lead 
a mistake, and refuse to return it ; or, still worse, he 
may force you, and so spoil your plan. 

In this state of things, the question whether you 
should lead the trump requires much consideration, 
and is not easily solved. 

If yours is not the first lead of the hand, probably 
the previous tricks may give you some clew as to how 
the cards lie. In the absence of such clew, prob- 
ably the best guide is to consider the probable advan- 
tages of the trump lead as regards your own hand. 
If your other cards are good, the trump lead will, most 
likely, be the best thing, and you must defend yourself 
against any antagonistic proceedings of your partner as 
best you can. If, on the contrary, you have only a 
poor hand, you may do better by ruffing, in which case 
your opponents may lead trumps themselves. It is one 
of the cases in which your own judgment at the time 
must direct you. 

What Card to lead from a Strong Suit of Trumps, 

In the proper game you generally lead the lowest, 
unless you have three honors ; your partner has a good 
chance of winning the first trick, and you may depend 
on his returning the suit the first opportunity. With a 
bad partner the case is not so clear, as he may not 
approve the trump lead, and may prefer to keep his 
trumps for ruffing. 



ON MODIFICATIONS OF THE RULES. 99 

Hence, if it is very important to you to get trumps 
out, and you hold ace and others, it is better for you 
to make sure of two rounds without your partner's aid. 
This, however, should only be done under a pressing 
emergency, as it is so very desirable to keep up the 
command. In the majority of cases, adhere to the 
usual rule, and if your partner does not return the suit, 
get the lead yourself again as early as you can, and 
complete the extraction. 

Returning your Partner"^ s Trump Lead, 

This you are bound to do when playing with a good 
partner, for reasons fully stated in Chap. IV. 

But you are not bound to return the trump lead of 
an uneducated or unsystematic player, as you have no 
confidence that his lead is dictated by the proper mo- 
tives. Wild and unjustifiable trump leads are the most 
common characteristic of bad players, just as cautious 
trump leads are of good ones. When, therefore, play- 
ing with one of the former class, he leads a trump, it 
would be folly for you to return it, unless either it suits 
your own hand, or you can infer by the fall of the 
cards that he has stumbled upon a correct mode of 
play. 

Returning your Partner's Lead in Plain Suits. 

This you may generally do, as he may have some 
motive or other which it will be as well for you to fell 



100 APPENDIX B. 

in with. He may not, probably will not, lead his long- 
est suit ; he may lead either from a high card, in hopes 
of making it, or from a single card, in hopes of ruffing. 
In either case you may humor him, and let him do 
what he can towards trick-making in his own way, 
provided it does not interfere with any more advanta- 
geous scheme of your own. 

What Card to return to your Partner'' s Lead, 

The rule of returning the higher, if you have only 
two left, must on no account be followed with a bad 
partner. Its object is to aid your partner in establish- 
ing his long suit, to get rid of the command, to give 
him a good opportunity of finessing, and to inform 
him how many cards of the suit you hold. But every 
one of these advantages is thrown away on an un- 
systematic player, and you may be only wasting good 
cards, and affording information to the adversary. 

Forcing your Partner, 

In the correct game you must not force your partner 
if there is a probability that he is strong in trumps ; 
but this rule does not apply when you are playing with 
an unsystematic partner. He may probably wish to 
use his trumps for ruffing, and you must humor him 
rather than thwart him. Hence, if he fails in a suit, 
do not be deterred (as you would be in the correct 
game) from forcing him, by the mere fact of your 



ON MODIFICATIONS OF THE RULES. loi 

being weak in trumps yourself: since to abstain will do 
you no good, and will rather benefit the adversaries. 

Calling for Trumps, 

This of course is useless with an unsystematic part- 
ner ; it will only convey information to your disad- 
vantage. Considering, however, the impression to be 
produced on the adversaries, it is possible sometimes 
so to deceive them as to induce them to lead trumps. 
For example, if one of them leads the king of a suit, 
you having queen and a little one, your queen must fall 
the second round; and by throwing it away on the 
first round you may often induce the leader to stop 
his suit and substitute a trump lead, particularly if he 
is a player of the old school. Further, you may often 
advantageously make a feigned call (for example, 
when you have one or two little trumps and want to 
ruff) , with the view of preventing the adversaries from 
leading trumps, which they, being strong, might other- 
wise do. 

Second Player, 

With ace, king, you may put on the ace. With 
king, queen, the king. With ace, queen, knave, the 
queen. With queen, knave, ten, the queen or knave. 
With king, knave, ten, the knave. With queen, knave, 
and one other, the queen. All these effect the de- 
sired objects without betraying your hand. 

In other cases the ordinary conventional rule of 



102 APPENDIX B. 

playing the lowest should not be followed, if you can 
play an intermediate card without detriment to your 
own hand. If you hold only two cards, it may often 
be good to play the higher, unless it is an ace, which 
it is advisable to hold up over the leader. This style 
of play will effectually mystify your adversaries, and 
do neither you nor your partner harm. 

Trtunping a Doubtful Trick. 

The usual rule is to trump if weak in trumps, but 
not if strong, which gives useful indications to your 
partner. The rule may be generally adhered to, as 
it is also the best play for your own hand ; but cases 
may arise where you may wish to follow a contrary 
course, and in these you may get rid of the usual fear 
of deceiving your partner. It may even be desirable 
sometimes to adopt the reverse of the usual play, for 
the purpose of expressly deceiving the adversaries and 
leading them to do something advantageous to you. 

Third Player. Fines sifig. 

Being third player you are still bound to do your 
best to win the trick, by generally playing your high- 
est ; but you have, with a bad partner, much more 
liberty as regards finessing. 

In the proper combined game you are forbidden to 
finesse to your partner's original lead, except with ace, 
queen. With a partner who does not lead, on princi^ 



ON MODIFICATIONS OF THE RULES. 103 

pie, from his longest suit, this restriction does not 
apply, and you may often finesse with advantage; 
with king, knave, and a small one, for example, the 
knave is a very good card to play third hand. 

Fourth Player. 

The usual rule is, if you cannot win the trick, throw 
away the smallest card you have. With an unobserv- 
ant partner this is of no use ; consequently, to deceive 
the adversaries, throw away a higher one. 

You may also often puzzle them by winning your 
partner's trick unnecessarily, if the card you win it 
with is not likely to be otherwise useful. 

Sequences^ Second^ Thirds or Fourth Hand, 

With a good partner, it is imperative to play the 
lowest card of a sequence, as one of the most frequent 
and most useful modes of giving him information. 
When, however, the partner is unobservant, the rule 
should be systematically violated as one of the best 
means of mystifying the adversaries. Play sometimes 
the highest, sometimes a middle card, and the lowest 
occasionally, so as to prevent them from forming any 
idea what rule you are likely to follow. 

Discarding. 

In the proper game you discard from a weak or 
short suit, which gives a good partner a positive in- 



104 APPENDIX B, 

dication in what direction your strength Ues. The 
rule is considered so essential by good players, that 
they will even unguard a king or a queen for the sake 
of adhering to it. 

With a bad partner this is of course useless, and 
you must study your own hand alone. If the cards 
of the weak suit are worthless, it may often still be 
advantageous to preserve your long suit; but on no 
account should you risk losing a good card, which 
might be of much use in the play of the hand. It 
may even be advantageous sometimes to throw away 
from your long suit, particularly if'it contains a tenace, 
with the object of deceiving the adversaries, and 
getting it led up to. 

These remarks, though necessarily incomplete and 
indefinite, will give some idea of the manner in which 
the play of a hand should be modified by the fact of 
having a bad partner ; and probably their chief value 
should be in leading the student to avoid a blind and 
unreasoning adoption of fixed rules, but rather to cul- 
tivate a constant habit of reasoning as he plays, and of 
considering less the rules themselves than the princi- 
ples they are founded on. If the player can always 
bear in mind the reason why, in the ordinary game, 
he ought to do a certain thing, he will have but little 
difficulty in appreciating the cases, as they arise, 
when this reason fails, and when, consequently, the 
established rule no longer applies. 



ON MODIFICATIONS OF THE RULES, 105 

Such cases must constantly occur in playing with 
an unsystematic partner, and the ability promptly 
and skilfully to deal with them is one of the great 
characteristics of a fine player. And although it is 
very customary for those who know and appreciate 
the correct game, to dislike sitting opposite to inca- 
pable, uneducated, or obstinate partners, and to con- 
sider themselves somewhat in the light of martyrs 
when they are obhged to do so, yet there can be no 
doubt that, from the opportunities such cases afford 
for variety of practice, they may, by careful observa- 
tion and earnest study, be made conducive in no 
mean degree, to improvement in the game. 



APPENDIX C. 



THE AMERICAN LEAD. 

Some important alterations have been made, of late 
years, in the manner of leading small cards. Former- 
ly, when you had to make what the French call an 
invite^ or an original lead of a small card from a long 
suit, it was customary to lead your lowest card. 

Some years ago " Cavendish " proposed that when 
the suit contained five cards, the card led should be 
the penultimate^ or the lowest but one, an alteration 
largely adopted. Colonel Drayson then proposed 
that from six cards the lead should be the lowest 
but two. 

Quite lately, however, Mr. N. B. Trist, of New 
Orleans, has pointed out that all these varieties of 
ijivite may be brought into one category by a direc- 
tion to lead XhQ fourth-best card^ — i.e., the fourth in 
rank from the top of the suit ; and it has been 
shown that, if this is done, the leader's partner may 
be able, not only to ascertain the number of cards 



APPENDIX C. 107 

held, but also to gather valuable information as to 
the rank of the higher ones among them. 

This is now called, in England, the system of 
American Leads, and is fully explained in " Caven- 
dish's '' latest work, " Whist Developments." 



APPENDIX D. 

RHYMING RULES, MNEMONIC MAXIMS, 
AND POCKET PRECEPTS. 

BEING SHORT MEMORANDA OF IMPORTANT POINTS. TO BE KEPT IN MIND 

BY THOSE WHO WOULD PRACTICE THE MODERN 

SCIENTIFIC GAME OF WHIST.* 



If you the modern game of Whist would know, 
From this great principle its precepts flow: 
Treat your own hand as to your partner^s joined, 
And play not one alone, but both covibiiied. 

Your first lead makes your partner understand 
What is the chief component of your hand ; 
And hence there is necessity the strongest 
'Y\i2X yotir first lead be fi^om your suit thafs longest. 

In this, with ace and king^ lead king^ then ace ; 
With king and queeii^ king also has first place ; 
With ace^ queen, knave y lead ace and then the queen ; 
With ace, four small ones, ace should first be seen; 
With queen, knave, ten, you let the queen precede ; 
In other cases, you a low one lead. 

Ere you return your friend's, your own suit play ; 
But trumps you must return without delay, 

' The rules embodied in these versicles were first published in prose 
(printed on a card, entitled " Pocket Precepts ") by the Author of this work, 
in March, 1864. The idea of the rhyming form here adopted is taken from 
an old French composition of the same kind. 



RHYMING RULES, 109 

When you return your partner's lead, take pains 
To lead him back the best your hand contains, 
If you received not more than three at first ; 
If you had more, you may return the worst. 

But if you hold the master card, you're bound i 

To play it in most cases second round. 

Whene'er you want a lead, 'tis seldom wrong 
To lead up to the weak, or through the strong. 

If second hand, your lowest should be played, 
Unless you mean "trump signal " to be made; 
Or if you've king and queen, or ace g,nd kingy 
Then one of these will be the proper thing. 

Mind well the rules for trumps, you'll often need them : 
When you hold five, 'tis always right to lead 

THEM; 

Or, if the lead won't come in time to you, 
Then signal to your partner so to do. 

Watch also for your partner's trump request, 
To which, with less than four ^ play out your best. 

To lead through honors turned up, is bad play, 
Unless you want the trump suit cleared away. 

When, second hand, a doubtful trick you see, 
Don^t trump it if you hold more trumps than three; 
But having three or less, trump fearlessly. 

When weak in trumps yourself, don't force your friend; 
But always force the adverse strong trump hand. 

For sequences, stern custom has decreed 
The lowest you must play, if you don't lead. 

When you discard, weak suits you ought to choose, 
For strong ones are too precious thus to lose. 



THE LAWS OF WHIST. 

BY PERMISSION, VERBATIM, FROM THE CLUB 
CODE. 

EXTRACTED FROM THE WORK OF " CAVENDISH," BY WHOM THE FOOTW 
NOTES ARE ADDED. 



The Rubber, 



1. The rubber is the best of three games. If the first 
two games be won by the same players, the third game is 
not played. 

Scoring, 

2. A game consists of five points. Each trick, above 
six, counts one point. 

3. Honors, i.e.. Ace, King, Queen, and Knave of 
trumps, are thus reckoned : — 

If a player and his partner, either separately or con- 
jointly, hold — 

I. The four honors, they score four points. 
II. Any three honors, they score two points. 
III. Only two honors, they do not score. 

4. Those players, who, at the commencement of a deal, 
are at the score of four, cannot score honors. 



SCORING. Ill 

5. The penalty for a revoke » takes precedence of all 
other scores. Tricks score next. Honors last. 

6. Honors, unless claimed before the trump card of the 
following deal is turned up, cannot be scored. 

7. To score honors is not sufficient: they must be 
called at the end of the hand ; if so called, they may 
be scored at any time during the game. 

8. The winners gain — 

I. A treble, or game of three points, when their adversaries have 
not scored. 

II. A double, or game of two points, when their adversaries have 
scored less than three. 

III. A single, or game of one point, when their adversaries have 
scored three, or four. 

9. The winners of the rubber gain two points (com- 
monly called the rubber points), in addition to the value 
of their games, 

10. Should the rubber have consisted of three games, 
the value of the losers' game is deducted from the gross 
number of points gained by their opponents. 

11. If an erroneous score be proved, such mistake can 
be corrected prior to the conclusion of the game in which 
it occurred; and such game is not concluded until the 
trump card of the following deal has been turned up. 

12. If an erroneous score, affecting the amount of the 
rubber,2 be proved, such mistake can be rectified at any 
time during the rubber. 

^ Vide Law 72. 

2 e.g., if a single is scored by mistake for a double or treble, or vice versa, 



112 THE LAWS OF WHIST. 

Cutting. 

13. The ace is the lowest card. 

14. In all cases, every one must cut from the same 
pack. 

15. Should a player expose more than one card, he 
must cut again. 

Formation of Table, 

16. If there are more than four candidates, the players 
are selected by cutting ; those first in the room having the 
preference. The four who cut the lowest cards play first, 
and again cut to decide on partners ; the two lowest play 
against the two highest; the lowest is the dealer, who has 
choice of cards and seats, and, having once made his 
selection, must abide by it. 

17. When there are more than six candidates, those 
who cut the two next lowest cards belong to the table, 
which is complete with six players ; on the retirement of 
one of those six players, the candidate who cut the next 
lowest card has a prior right to any after-comer to enter 
the table. 

Cutting Cards of Equal Value, 

18. Two players cutting cards of equal value, » unless 
such cards are the two highest, cut again ; should they 
be the two lowest, a fresh cut is necessary to decide which 
of those two deals.2 

' In cutting for partners. 

2 Example. A three, two sixes, and a knave are cut. The two sixes cut 
again, and the lowest plays with the three. Suppose at the second cut, the 
two sixes cut a king and a queen : the queen plays with the three. 

If at the second cut a lower card than the three is cut, the three still 
retains its privileges as original low, and has the deal and choice of cards and 
seats. 



ENTRY AiXD RE-ENTRY. 113 

19. Three players cutting cards of equal value cut 
again ; should the fourth (or remaining) card be the high- 
est, the two lowest of the new cut are partners, the lower 
of those two the dealer; should the fourth card be the 
lowest, the two highest are partners, the original lowest 
the dealer.^ 

Cutting out. 

20. At the end of a rubber, should admission be claimed 
by any one, or by two candidates, he who has, or they who 
have, played a greater number of consecutive rubbers 
than the others, is or are out ; but v^^hen all have played 
the same number, they must cut to decide upon the out- 
goers ; the highest are out. 

Entry and Re-entry. 

21. A candidate wishing to enter a table must declare 
such intention prior to any of the players having cut a 
card, either for the purpose of commencing a fresh rub- 
ber, or of cutting out. 

22. In the formation of fresh tables, those candidates 
who have neither belonged to nor played at any otlier 
table have the prior right of entry ; the others decide 
their right of admission by cutting. 

23. Any one quitting a table prior to the conclusion 

I Example. Three aces and a two are cut. The three aces cut again. 
The two is the original high, and plays with the highest of the next cut. 

Suppose at the second cut, two more twos and a king are drawn. The 
king plays with the original two, and the other pair of twos cut again for 
deal. 

Suppose, instead, the second cut to consist of an ace and two knaves. The 
two knaves cut again, and the highest plays with the two. 



114 THE LAWS OF WHIST, 

of a rubber, may, with consent of the other three players, 
appoint a substitute in his absence during that rubber. 

24. A player cutting into one table, whilst belonging 
to another, loses his right ^ of re-entry into that latter, and 
takes his chance of cutting in, as if he were a fresh 
candidate.2 

25. If any one break up a table, the remaining players 
have the prior right to him of entry into any other, and 
should there not be sufficient vacancies at such other 
table to admit all those candidates, they settle their pre- 
cedence by cutting. 

Shtiffling. 

26. The pack must neither be shuffled below the table 
nor so that the face of any card be seen. 

27. The pack must not be shuffled during the play of 
the hand. 

28. A pack, having been played with, must neither be 
shuffled by dealing it into packets, nor across the table. 

29. Each player has a right to shuffle, once only, ex- 
cept as provided by Rule 32, prior to a deal, after a false 
cut,3 or when a new deal 4 has occurred. 

30. The dealer's partner must collect the cards for the 
ensuing deal, and has the first right to shuffle that pack. 

31. Each player, after shuffling, must place the cards, 
properly collected and face downwards, to the left of the 
player about to deal. 

32. The dealer has always the right to shuffle last ; but 
should a card or cards be seen during his shuffling or 

* i.e., his prior right. ^ ^nd last in the xoom^vide Law 16). 

3 Vide Law 34. -* Vide Law 37. 



A NEW DEAL, 115 

whilst giving the pack to be cut, he may be compelled to 

re-shuffle. 

The DeaL 
n 

33. Each player deals in his turn ; the right of dealing 

goes to the left. 

34. The player on the dealer's right cuts the pack, 
and in dividing it, must not leave fewer than four cards 
in either packet ; if in cutting, or in replacing one of the 
two packets on the other, a card be exposed, ^ or if there 
be any confusion of the cards, or a doubt as to the exact 
place in which the pack was divided, there must be a 
fresh cut. 

35. When a player, whose, duty it is to cut, has once 
separated the pack, he cannot alter his intention ; he can 
neither re-shuffle nor re-cut the cards. 

36. When the pack is cut, should the dealer shuffle the 
cards, he loses his deal. 

A New DeaL 

37. There must be a new deal 2 — 

I. If, during a deal, or during the play of a hand, the pack be 
proved incorrect or imperfect. 

II. If any card, excepting the last, be faced in the pack. 

38. If, whilst dealing, a card be exposed by the dealer 
or his partner, should neither of the adversaries have 
touched the cards, the latter can claim a new deal ; a 
card exposed by either adversary gives that claim to the 
dealer, provided that his partner has not touched a card ; 

* After the two packets have been re-united, Law 38 comes into operation. 
' i.«., tht same dealer must deal again. Vide also Laws 47 and 50. 



ii6 THE LAWS OF WHIST. 

if a new deal does not take place, the exposed card can- 
not be called. 

39. If, during dealing, a player touch any of his cards, 
the adversaries may do the same, without losing their 
privilege of claiming a new deal, should chance give them 
such option. 

40. If, in dealing, one of the last cards be exposed, 
and the dealer turn up the trump before there is reason- 
able time for his adversaries to decide as to a fresh deal, 
they do not thereby lose their privilege. 

41. If a player, whilst deahng, look at the trump card, 
his adversaries have a right to see it, and may exact a 
new deal. 

42. If a player take into the hand dealt to him a card 
belonging to the other pack, the adversaries, on discov- 
ery of the error, may decide whether they will have a 
fresh deal or not. 

A Misdeal. 

43. A misdeal loses the deal.' 

44. It is a misdeal 2 — 

I. Unless the cards are dealt into four packets, one at a time in 
regular rotation, beginning with the player to the dealer's left. 

II. Should the dealer place the last (i.e., the trump) card, face 
downwards, on his own or any other pack. 

III. Should the trump card not come in its regular order to the 
dealer ; but he does not lose his deal if the pack be proved imperfect. 

IV. Should a player have fourteen ^ cards, and either of the other 
three less than thirteen.-* 

V. Should the dealer, under an impression that he has made a mis- 
take, either count the cards on the table, or the remainder of the pack. 

^ Except as provided in Laws 45 and 50. 2 yi^g also Law 36. 

•3 Or more. '^ The pack being perfect. Vide lam )i^j. 



A MISDEAL. 117 

VI. Should the dealer deal two cards at once, or two cayds to the 
same hand, and then deal a third ; but if, prior to dealing that third 
card, the dealer can, by altering the position of one card only, rectify 
such error, he may do so, except as provided by the second para- 
graph of this Law. 

VII. Should the dealer omit to have the pack cut to him, and the 
adversaries discover the error, prior to the trump card being turned 
up, and before looking at their cards, but not after having done so. 

45. A misdeal does not lose the deal if, during the 
dealing, either of the adversaries touch the cards prior 
to the dealer's partner having done so ; but should the 
latter have first interfered with the cards, notwithstand- 
ing either or both of the adversaries have subsequently 
done the same, the deal is lost. 

46. Should three players have their right number of 
cards, — the fourth have less than thirteen, and not dis- 
cover such deficiency until he has played any of his 
cards,? — the deal stands good ; should he have played, he 
is as answerable for any revoke he may have made as if 
the missing card, or cards, had been in his hand; 2 he 
may search the other pack for it or them. 

47. If a pack, during or after a rubber, be proved in- 
correct or imperfect, such proof does not alter any past 
score, game, or rubber ; that hand in which the imperfec- 
tion was detected is null and void ; the dealer deals again. 

48. Any one dealing out of turn, or with the adver- 
sary's cards, may be stopped before the trump card is 
turned up, after which the game must proceed as if no 
mistake had been made. 

* i.e., until after he has played to the first trick. 

* Vide also Law 70, and Law 44, paragraph iv. 



Ii8 THE LAWS OF WHIST. 

49. A player can neither shuffle, cut, nor deal for his 
partner, without the permission of his opponents. 

50. If the adversaries interrupt a dealer whilst dealing, 
either by questioning the score or asserting that it is not 
his deal, and fail to establish such claim, should a misdeal 
occur, he may deal again. 

51. Should a player take his partner's deal, and mis- 
deal, the latter is liable to the usual penalty, and the 
adversary next in rotation to the player who ought to 
have dealt, then deals. 

The Trump Card. 

52. The dealer, when it is his turn to play to the first 
trick, should take the trump card into his hand ; if left 
on the table after the first trick be turned and quitted, it 
is liable to be called ; ^ his partner may at any time re- 
mind him of the liability. 

53. After the dealer has taken the trump card into his 
hand, it cannot be asked for ; 2 a player naming it at any 
time during the play of that hand is liable to have his 
highest or lowest trump called.3 

54. If the dealer take the trump card into his hand 
before it is his turn to play, he may be desired to lay it 
on the table; should he show a wrong card, this card 
may be called, as also a second, a third, etc., until the 
trump card can be produced. 

55. \i\ the dealer declare himself unable to recollect 
the trump card, his highest or lowest trump may be called 

^ It is not usual to call the trump card if left on the table. 

2 Any one may inquire what the trump suit is, at any time. 

3 In the manner described in Law. 



CARDS LIABLE TO BE CALLED, 119 

at any time during that hand, and, unless it cause him to 
revoke, must be played; the call may be repeated, but 
not changed, i.e., from highest to lowest, or vice versd^ 
until such card is played. 

Cards Liable to be Called, 

16, All exposed cards are liable to be called, and must 
be left I on the table ; but a card is not an exposed card 
when dropped on the floor, or elsewhere below the table. 

The following are exposed 2 cards : — 

I. Two or more cards played at once.^ 

II. Any card dropped with its face upwards, or in any way exposed 
on or above the table, even though snatched up so quickly that no one 
can name it. 

I'], If any one play to an imperfect trick the best card 
on the table,4 or lead one which is a winning card as 
against his adversaries, and then lead again,5 or play sev- 
eral such winning cards, one after the other, without wait- 
ing for his partner to play, the latter may be called on to 
win, if he can, the first or any other of those tricks, and the 
other cards thus improperly played are exposed cards. 

58. If a player, or players, under the impression that 
the game is lost — or won — or for other reasons — throw 

* Face upwards. 

2 Detached cards (i.e., cards taken out of the hand but not dropped) are 
not liable to be called unless named ; vide Law 60. It is important to distin- 
guish between exposed and detached cards. 

3 If two or more cards are played at once, the adversaries have a right to 
call which they please to the trick in course of play, and afterwards to call the 
others. 

4 And then lead without waiting for his partner to play. 

5 Without waiting for his partner to play. 



I20 THE LAWS OF WHIST. 

his or their cards on the table face upwards, such cards 
are exposed, and hable to be called, each player's by the 
adversary ; but should one player alone retain his hand, 
he cannot be forced to abandon it. 

59. If all four players throw their cards on the table 
face upwards, the hands are abandoned ; and no one can 
again take up his cards. Should this general exhibition 
show that the game might have been saved or won, 
neither claim can be entertained, unless a revoke be es- 
tablished. The revoking players are then liable to the 
following penalties : they cannot under any circumstances 
win the game by the result of that hand, and the adversa- 
ries may add three to their score, or deduct three from 
that of the revoking players. 

60. A card detached from the rest of the hand so as to 
be named is liable to be called ; but should the adversary 
name a wrong card, he is liable to have a suit called when 
he or his partner have the lead.^ 

61. If a player, who has rendered himself liable to have 
the highest or lowest of a suit called, fail to play as de- 
sired, or if, when called on to lead one suit, he lead another, 
having in his hand one or more cards of that suit de- 
manded, he incurs the penalty of a revoke. 

62. If any player lead out of turn, his adversaries may 
either call the card erroneously led, or may call a suit 
from him or his partner when it is next the turn of either 
of them 2 to lead. 

' i.e., the first time that side obtains the lead. 

2 i.e., the penahy of calling a suit must be exacted from whichever of 
them next first obtains the lead. It follows, that if the player who leads out 
of turn is the partner of the person who ought to have led, and a suit is called, 
it must be called at once from the right leader. If he is allowed to play as he 
pleases, the only penalty that remains is to call the card erroneously led. 



CARDS PLA YED IN ERROR. I2i 

63. If any player lead out of turn, and the other three 
have lollowed him, the trick is complete, and the error 
cannot be rectified ; but if only the second, or the second 
and third, have played to the false lead, their cards, on 
discovery of the mistake, are taken back ; there is no 
penalty against any one excepting the original offender, 
whose cird may be called — or he, or his partner, when 
either of them I has next the lead, may be compelled to 
play any suit demanded by the adversaries. 

64. In nt) case can a player be compelled to play a card 
which woul^ oblige him to revoke. 

(i^. The (^9,11 of a card may be repeated 2 until such card 
has been pl^ed. 

66. If a pl\yer called on to lead a suit have none of it, 
the penalty isVjaid. 



Cards Pla)ed in Error ^ or not Played to a Trick, 

67. If the thii^ hand play before the second, the fourth 
hand may play l^fore his partner. 

68. Should th4 third hand not have played, and the 
fourth play beforehis partner, the latter may be called on 
to win or not to w^ the trick. 

69. If any one oi»it playing to a former trick, and such 
error be not discovered until he has played to the next, 
the adversaries mayWima new deal; should they decide 
that the deal stand g^d, the surplus card at the end of 
the hand is considerei^to have been played to the imper- 
fect trick, but does noWnstitute a revoke therein. 

70. If any one play tvo cards to the same trick, or mix 

» i.e., whichever Ov^them next first has the lead. 
2 At every trick. 



122 THE LAWS OF WHIST, 

his trump, or other card, with a trick to which it does not 
properly belong, and the mistake be not discovered until 
the hand is played out, he is answerable for all conse- 
quent revokes he may have made.' If, during th^ play 
of the hand, the error be detected, the tricks raay be 
counted face downwards, in order to ascertain vhether 
there be among them a card too many : should this be 
the case, they may be searched, and the card restored ; the 
player is, however, liable for all revokes whicl: he may 
have meanwhile made. 

The Revoke 

71. Is when a player, holding one or more cards of the 
suit led, plays a card of a different suit.2 

72. The penalty for a revoke : — 

I. Is at the option of the adversaries, who, at tb end of the hand 
may either take three tricks from the revoking jiayer,^ or deduct 
three points from his score, or add three to their o\n score ; 

II. Can be claimed for as many revokes as occurduringthe hand; 

III. Is applicable only to the score of the game in which it occurs ; 

IV. Cannot be divided ; i.e., a player cannot acH one or two to his 
own score, and deduct one or two from the revoJing player; 

V. Takes precedence of every other score e.g., the claimants 
two, their opponents nothing : the former adi three to their score 
— and thereby win a treble game, even shouJi the latter have made 
thirteen tricks and held four honors. 

73. A revoke is established, if thf trick in which it oc- 
cur be turned and quitted, — i.e., f e hand removed from 
that trick after it has been turned ^ce downwards on the 
table, — or if either the revoking player or his partner, 

* Vide also Law 46. * Vide also Law 6i. 

3 And add them to heir own. 



T^E REVOKE, 123 

whether in his right turn or otherwise, lead or play to the 
following trick. 

74. A player may ask his partner whether he has not 
a card of the suit which he has renounced ; should the 
question be asked before the trick is turned and quitted, 
subsequent turning and quitting does not establish the re- 
voke, and the error may be corrected, unless the question 
be answered in the negative, or unless the revoking player 
or his partner have led or played to the following trick. 

7S' At the end of the hand, the claimants of a revoke 
may search all the tricks. » 

76. If a player discover his mistake in time to save a 
revoke, the adversaries, whenever they think fit, may call 
the card thus played in error, or may require him to play 
his highest or lowest card to that trick in which he has 
renounced ; any player or players who have played after 
him m*ay withdraw their cards, and substitute others : the 
cards withdrawn are not liable to be called. 

yy. If a revoke be claimed, and the accused player or 
his partner mix the cards before they have been suffi- 
ciently examined by the adversaries, the revoke is estab- 
lished. The mixing of the cards only renders the proof 
of a revoke difficult, but does not prevent the claim, and 
possible establishment, of the penalty. 

78. A revoke cannot be claimed after the cards have 
been cut for the following deal. 

79. The revoking player and his partner may, under all 
circumstances, require the hand in which the revoke has 
been detected to be played out. 

80. If a 1 evoke occur, be claimed and proved, bets on 

^ Fide Law 77. 



124 THE LAWS OF WHIST, 

the odd trick, or on amount of score, must be decided by 
the actual state of the latter, after the penalty is paid. 

8i. Should the players on both sides subject themselves 
to the penalty of one or more revokes, neither can win 
the game; each is punished at the discretion of his 
adversary.! 

82. In whatever way the penalty be enforced, under no 
circumstances can a player win the game by the result of 
the hand during which he has revoked; he cannot score 
more than four. (Vide Rule 61.) 

Calling for New Cards, 

83. Any player (on paying for them) before, but not 
after, the pack be cut for the deal, may call for fresh 
cards. He must call for two new packs, of which the 
dealer takes his choice. 

General Rules, 

84. Where a player and his partner have an option of 
exacting from their adversaries one of two penalties, they 
should agree who is to make the election, but must not 
consult with one another which of the two penalties it is 
advisable to exact ; if they do so consult, they lose their 
right ; 2 and if either of them, with or without consent of 
his partner, demand a penalty to which he is entitled, such 
decision is final. 

This rule does not apply in exacting the penalties for a revoke; 
partners have then a right to consult. 

Z^, Any one during the play of a trick, or after the four 

' In the manner prescribed in Law 72. * To demand any penalty. 



GENERAL RULES. 125 

cards are played, and before, but not after, they are 
touched for the purpose of gathering them together, may 
demand that the cards be placed before their respective 
players. 

Zo. If any one, prior to his partner playing, should call 
attention to the trick, — either by saying that it is his, or 
by naming his card, or, without being required so to do, 
by drawing it towards him, — the adversaries may require 
that opponent's partner to play the highest or lowest of 
the suit then led, or to win or lose ^ the trick. 

Z"]. In all cases where a penalty has been incurred, the 
offender is bound to give reasonable time for the decision 
of his adversaries. 

ZZ, If a bystander make any remark which calls the 
attention of a player or players to an oversight affecting 
the score, he is liable to be called on, by the players only, 
to pay the stakes and all bets on that game or rubber. 

89. A bystander, by agreement among the players, may 
decide any question. 

90. A card or cards torn or marked must be either re- 
placed by agreement, or new cards called at the expense 
of the table. 

91. Any player may demand to see the last trick turned, 
and no more. Under no circumstances can more than 
eight cards be seen during the play of the hand ; viz., the 
four cards on the table which have not been turned and 
quitted, and the last trick turned. 

' i.e., refrain from winning. 



ETIQUETTE OF WHIST. 



The following rules belong to the established etiquette 
of Whist. They are not called laws, as it is difficult — 
in some cases impossible — to apply any penalty to their 
infraction, and the only remedy is to cease to play with 
players who habitually disregard them. 

Two packs of cards are invariably used at clubs : if 
possible this should be adhered to. 

Any one, having the lead and several winning cards to 
play, should not draw a second card out of his hand until 
his partner has played to the first trick; such act being a 
distant intimation that the former has played a winning 
card. 

No intimation whatever, by word or gesture, should be 
given by a player as to the state of his hand, or of the 
game.' 

A player who desires the cards to be placed, or who 
demands to see the last trick,^ should do it for his own 
information only, and not in order to invite the attention 
of his partner. 

No player should object to refer to a bystander who 

1 The question " Who dealt ? " is irregular, and if asked should not be 
answered. 

2 Or who asks what the trump suit is. 



DUMMY. 127 

professes himself uninterested in the game, and able to 
decide any disputed question of facts, — as to who played 
any particular card ; whether honors were claimed though 
not scored, or vice versa, etc., etc. 

It is unfair to revoke purposely ; having made a revoke, 
a player is not justified in making a second in order to 
conceal the first. 

Until the players have made such bets as they wish, 
bets should not be made with bystanders. 

Bystanders should make no remark, neither should they 
by word or gesture give any intimation of the state of the 
game until concluded and scored, nor should they walk 
round the table to look at the different hands. 

No one should look over the hand of a player against 
whom he is betting. 

Dummy 

Is played by three players. 

One hand, called Dummy's, lies exposed on the table. 

The laws are the same as those of Whist, with the 
following exceptions : — 

I. Dummy deals at the commencement of each rubber. 
II. Dummy is not liable to the penalty for a revoke, as his adver- 
saries see his cards : should he ^ revoke, and the error not be discov- 
ered until the trick is turned and quitted, it stands good.^ 

III. Dummy being blind and deaf, his partner is not liable to any 
penalty for an error whence he can gain no advantage. Thus he may 
expose some or all of his cards, or may declare that he has the game 
or trick, etc., without incurring any penalty ; if, however, he lead 
from Dummy's hand when he should lead from his own, or vice versd, 
a suit may be called from the hand which ought to have led. 

' i.c., Dummy's hand. If Dummy's partner revokes, he is liable to the 
usual penalties. 

2 And the hand proceeds as though the revoke had not been discovered. 



128 ETIQUETTE OF WHIST, 



Double Diunmy 

Is played by two players, each having a Dummy or ex- 
posed hand for his partner. The laws of the game do 
not differ from Dummy Whist, except in the following 
special law : There is no misdeal, as the deal is a 
disadvantage. 



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